Art Collections Online

Born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Robert Owen (1771-1858) became a successful cotton spinner. At his mill in New Lanark in Scotland he proved that good working conditions led to high profits. His A View of Society, published in 1813, argued that co-operation should replace competition. In 1824 he tried unsuccessfully to create a community in America named New Harmony based on his principles. A pioneer of practical socialism, he was the father of the co-operative movement. The artist W.H. Brooke is better known as an illustrator.