Coventry Patmore

Coventry Kersey Dighton Patmore (23 July 1823 – 26 November 1896) was an English poet and literary critic. He is best known for his book of poetry The Angel in the House (1854), a narrative poem about the Victorian ideal of a happy marriage.

After the publication of his first book of poems in 1844, he became acquainted with members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He worked for the British Museum for 19 years, starting in 1846. His grief over the death of his first wife, Emily Augusta Patmore in 1862, became a major theme in his poetry.

The eldest son of author Peter George Patmore, Patmore was born at Woodford in Essex and was privately educated. The boy was very close to his father Peter and showed an early interest in literature. Patmore's first goal was to become an artist; he earned the silver palette of the Society of Arts in 1838. In 1839, his family sent Patmore to school in France for six months, where he began to write poetry. On his return to England, Peter Patmore planned to publish some of his son's youthful poems; however, Patmore had become interested in science, and set aside writing poetry.