Cornelius Varley

Cornelius Varley, FRSA (21 November 1781 – 2 October 1873) was a British water-colour painter and optical instrument-maker.

He was a younger brother of John Varley, a watercolour painter and astrologer, and a close friend of William Blake.

From 1803 to 1859 he was an occasional exhibitor at the Royal Academy and he also contributed regularly to the displays of the Water-Colour Society, of which, in 1803, he was one of the founders, and of which he continued a member until 1821.

[2] Varley's artistic works consist mainly of carefully finished classical subjects, with architecture and figures.

[6] A replica of Varley's graphic telescope was built for the Through the Looking Lens exhibition held at the American Philosophical Society Museum in 2013.