Robert W. Chambers
Robert W. Chambers was an American author and artist born on May 26, 1865, in Brooklyn, New York, into a socially prominent family. He pursued art at the Art Students League and studied painting in Paris at the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian. Chambers published his first novel, *In the Quarter*, in 1894, inspired by his experiences in Paris. He gained significant recognition for *The King in Yellow* (1895), a collection of stories that has since become notable in the horror and fantasy genres. Chambers also wrote romance and historical novels, with his work *Cardigan*, set during the American Revolution, reflecting his passion for the outdoors.
In addition to his literary pursuits, he created illustrations for various magazines and wrote a play, *The Witch of Ellangowin*. He was married to Elsa Vaughn Moller and had one son, Robert Husted Chambers, who also became a writer. Chambers passed away on December 16, 1933, following abdominal surgery. His legacy endures, particularly for his contributions to the fantasy genre, which have influenced later writers, including H. P. Lovecraft.
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Subject Terms
Robert W. Chambers
Writer
- Born: May 26, 1865
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: December 16, 1933
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Robert William Chambers was born on May 26, 1865, in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were William R. Chambers, a famous lawyer, and Caroline Broughton Chambers, a direct descendant of Roger Williams, founder of the colony of Rhode Island. They were members of New York’s social elite. Chambers attended the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and entered the Art Students League when he was twenty. There he met Charles Dana Gibson, who went on to become a famous illustrator and his collaborator on several illustrated novels.
Chambers studied painting in Paris at the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian from 1886 to 1993, and exhibited his work in a Paris salon in 1889. He wrote his first novel, In the Quarter, in 1887, based on his experiences in Paris, although it was not published until 1894. After he returned to the United States, he sold illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines before becoming a full-time writer. In 1895, The King in Yellow, a collection of stories, came out. The title refers to a fictional verse play. Anyone who reads it either becomes insane or suffers a horrible death.
Chambers married Elsa Vaughn Moller in 1898, and they had one son, Robert, who became a successful writer in his own right as Robert Husted Chambers. They lived in New York City and had a summer home on his family’s eight-hundred-acre estate called Broadalbin, which is at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains in New York. Chambers shared his love of the outdoors with the main character of one of his most popular novels, Cardigan, which is set during the American Revolution. He hunted, fished, collected butterflies, rode horses, and planted more than twenty thousand trees on the estate.
Besides many novels, short stories, poems, and magazine articles, Chambers wrote one original play, The Witch of Ellangowin, and adapted his novel Iole to the stage in 1913. His working style was to go to his office, whose address was unknown to everyone, including his own family, every day, and write from ten until six. He used his earnings to collect Chinese, Japanese, and other antiques. He died after abdominal surgery on December 16, 1933, in New York City. During his lifetime Chambers was known mostly for his best-selling romance and historical novels, but today he is better known for his horror and fantasy stories, especially The King in Yellow, which H. P. Lovecraft praised in The Supernatural in Literature.