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{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = William George Archer
| honorific_suffix = [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|02|01|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1979|03|06|1907|02|01|df=y}}
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| monuments =
| residence =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| education = [[School of Oriental Studies]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{Plainlist|
* [[Civil servant]]
**[[District Collector (India)|District Magistrate]]
** Superintendent of the Census
* [[Museum curator]]
* [[Art critic]]
* [[Television presenter]]
}}
| years_active =
| employer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Indian Civil Service]] (1931-1947)
* [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] (1949-1959)
}}
| organization =
| agent =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| home_town =
| television = ''[[Monitor (UK TV series)|Monitor]]''
| spouse = [[Mildred Archer|Mildred Agnes Bell]]
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| awards =
}}

'''William George Archer''', [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (1907-1979), who wrote as '''W. G. Archer''', and was known to friends as '''Bill''', was a British [[civil servant]] and art historian, and later museum curator.

== Career ==

Archer was born on 1 February 1907,<ref name="OU">{{cite web |title=William Archer |url=http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/william-archer |publisher=[[Open University]] |access-date=4 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref> and studied first history at [[Emmanuel College, Cambridge]],<ref name="Skelton">{{cite journal |last1=Skelton |first1=Robert |title=Obituary: William George Archer |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=2 |date=1979 |pages=186–188|doi=10.1017/S0035869X00135798 }}</ref> and then [[Hindi]], Indian history and law at the [[School of Oriental Studies]] in London.<ref name="TI">{{cite web |title=Mildred Archer |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/mildred-archer-745579.html |website=The Independent |date=9 October 2011 |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> He subsequently served in the [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Indian Civil Service]], in [[Bihar]], from 1931 until around 1947, when [[Indian Independence Act 1947|India gained independence]].<ref name="DiasporaArtists" /> His roles included [[District Collector (India)|District Magistrate]] and Superintendent of the Census.<ref name="OU" /> He was also Additional Deputy Commissioner in the [[Naga Hills]] from 1946 to 1948.<ref name="OU" /> While in India, he developed a love and knowledge of Indian culture, including poetry and art,<ref name="DiasporaArtists" /> and of the [[Santal people]].<ref name="OU" /> In the summer of 1934, while home from India on sick leave, he married the sister of one of his friends, [[Mildred Archer|Mildred Agnes Bell]], who returned to India with him (she later worked as curator of prints and drawings at the [[India Office]]).<ref name="TI" /> The couple, who had two children while in India, shared socialist politics and a belief that India should be granted independence.<ref name="OU" /><ref name="TI" />

After the family's return to England, they lived on Provost Road, north of London's [[Primrose Hill]],<ref name="TI" /> and Archer served as Keeper of the Indian Section, at the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] from 1949-1959,<ref name="DiasporaArtists">{{cite web |title=Diaspora-artists: View details |url=http://new.diaspora-artists.net/display_item.php?id=38&table=artists |publisher=Diaspora Artists |access-date=4 August 2018 |language=en-UK}}</ref> and afterwards ''Keeper Emeritus''.<ref name="Skelton" />

In the 1950s and 60s, he presented arts programmes on [[BBC Television]], as part of the series ''[[Monitor (UK TV series)|Monitor]]''.<ref name="TNA">{{cite web |title= Correspondence about the making of the BBC Monitor film on Avinash Chandra |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/6e2c5723-12a6-4615-b001-819a567ba4fd |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="Genome">{{cite web |title=W.G. Archer |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=1&q=W.G.+Archer&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search |publisher=[[BBC Genome]] |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref> He was a champion of the Indian artist [[Avinash Chandra]].<ref name="DiasporaArtists" />

== Recognition and legacy ==

Archer was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[1948 New Year Honours]],<ref>British Empire: {{London Gazette |issue=38161 |supp=y |page=26 |date=30 December 1947}}</ref> and was awarded [[honorary doctorate]]s by [[Panjab University]] in 1968 and [[Guru Nanak Dev University]] in 1976.<ref name="Skelton" /> In 1978, he received the [[Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland]]'s [[Burton Memorial Medal]].<ref name="Skelton" />

He died on 6 March 1979.<ref name="OU" />

His papers, together with those of his wife, are held by the [[British Library]].<ref name="TNA2">{{cite web |title= Papers of W G Archer, Indian Civil Service, Bihar 1931-47, and of his wife Mildred Archer, experts on Indian poetry and art |url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/bf9039b5-32b9-4142-82c5-182983d53231 |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |access-date=4 August 2018}}</ref>

== Works ==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=4135 |name=W. G. Archer}}

=== Books ===

* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=The Blue Grove; The Poetry Of The Uraons |url=https://archive.org/details/bluegrovepoetryo0000unse |url-access=registration |year=1940}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=The Vertical Man |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281129 |date=1947}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Kangra Painting |date=1952}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Bazaar Paintings of Calcutta: The Style of Kalighat |date=1953}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Garhwal painting |date=1954}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Indian paintings from Rajasthan |date=1957}}
* {{cite book |last=Archer |first=W. G. |author-mask=0 |title=The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry |url={{Google books|TwIOAQAAIAAJ|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |year=1957 |place=New York |publisher=Allen and Unwin |series=Ethical and religious classics of East and West, 18}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Central Indian Painting |url=https://archive.org/details/centralindianpai0000arch |url-access=registration |date=1958}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |last2=Paranavitana |first2=S. |title=Ceylon: Paintings from Temple Shrine and Rock |date=1958}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=India and Modern Art |date=1959}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Indian Painting in Bundi and Kotah |date=1959}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Indian Miniatures |date=1960}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Kalighat Drawings |date=1962}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Paintings of the Sikhs |date=1966}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Kalighat Paintings: A Catalogue and Introduction |date=1971 |publisher=HMSO |isbn=9780112900290}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=W.G. |author-mask=0 |title=Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills |location=London |date=1973 |isbn=9780856670022}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=W. G. |author-mask=0 |title=The Hill Of Flutes: Life, Love And Poetry In Tribal India: A Portrait Of The Santals |date=1974 |publisher=[[Allen & Unwin]] |location=London |isbn=9780045720217}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |author-mask=0 |title=Songs for the Bride: Wedding Rites of Rural India |date=1985 |isbn=978-0231059183 |oclc=11372032}}
* {{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=William |last2=Archer |first2=Mildred |author-link2=Mildred Archer |title=India Served and Observed |date=1994 |publisher=BACSA |location=London |isbn=978-0907799535}}

=== Papers ===

* [[Mildred Archer|Archer, Mildred]] & W.G. Archer (1955) Natural history paintings. In Indian painting for the British 1770–1880, pp. 91–98. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, W.G.}}

[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Civil Service (British India) officers]]
[[Category:People associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum]]
[[Category:British art critics]]
[[Category:BBC television presenters]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London]]
[[Category:British art historians]]
[[Category:British curators]]
[[Category:People from the London Borough of Camden]]

W.G. Archer - Revision history

MohammadTit: quick update

>Citation bot: Alter: pages. Add: date, doi. Formatted dashes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by RoanokeVirginia | Category:BBC television presenters | #UCB_Category 72/177