Charrington, Sir John (1856-1939), Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge

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Charrington, Sir John (1856-1939), Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge

17 May 1856 - 24 February 1939

Born at Clapton on 17 May 1856 the son of John, head of the firm of Charrington, Sells, Dale and Co. which firm he entered in 1880; subsequently chairman.
School - Haileybury (of which he later became a governor)

Admitted pensioner at Trinity on 25 May 1875
Matriculated Michaelmas 1875; B.A. 1879; M.A. 1885
Honorary Fellow of Magdalene, 1936

As a young man became interested in prints, and expert in the investigation of early examples.
In 1910 became the first Honorary Keeper of the Prints at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, where he undertook the examination of the whole collection of prints. In 1923 he published a catalogue of the 'Mezzotints after, or said to be after, Rembrandt'.

Undertook exhaustive researches in connection with the Pepys Library at Magdalene and in 1936 published a 'Catalogue of the engraved portraits in the library of Samuel Pepys, F.R.S., now belonging to Magdalene College.' Few other people, if any, could have accomplished the Pepys Library catalogue, involving, as it did, the identification of hundreds of portraits without any title.

In 1933 he presented to the Fitzwilliam Museum a great collection of engraved portraits, now housed in the new print Room built at his cost.
Made many important gifts of early printed books to Cambridge University Library.
Was always proud to be known as 'A great lover of Cambridge.'

Died on 24 February 1939, aged 82, at Shenley