A Life of Design and Letters
Thomas Hope was a Dutch-British interior and Regency designer, traveler, author, philosopher, art collector, and partner in the banking firm Hope & Co. Born in Amsterdam, he fled to London after the French Revolution spread to the Netherlands. He was best known as an early promoter of Greek Revival architecture and for his novel Anastasius.
His extensive travels through Europe, Asia, and Africa led him to collect various artifacts, including Greek vases and sculptures. In London, he remodeled his residence in Duchess Street in an Egyptian style and opened his galleries to the public. His published works included:
- Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1807)
- Costumes of the Ancients (1809)
- Designs of Modern Costumes (1812)
- Anastasius: or, Memoirs of a Greek (1819)
- The Origin and Prospect of Man (1831)
Design and Literary Legacy
As a designer, Hope was often referred to as "the costume and furniture man." His book Household Furniture and Interior Decoration influenced the upholstery and interior decoration of houses, featuring designs in a pseudo-classical manner known as "English Empire." He also produced drawings depicting people and places from his time in the Ottoman Empire.
In literature, his novel Anastasius described the lives of inhabitants within the Ottoman Empire, covering details of Islamic culture such as music, language, and religion. Following his marriage to Louisa de la Poer Beresford, he acquired a country seat at Deepdene near Dorking in Surrey, which became a resort for men of letters.
