Collins, William, 1788-1847 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

A popular English landscape and portrait painter who excelled in art from an early age, Collins exhibited and sold his work consistently between 1809 and his death. Collins was especially recognized for his picturesque landscapes and rustic scenes of rural life. His painting "The Sale of the Pet Lamb" brought his name to the forefront in 1812, but he earned his admission as an associate of the Royal Academy in 1814 on the merit of two other paintings, "The Blackberry Gatherers" and "The Birdcatchers." He is also the father of novelist Wilkie Collins.

Collier, Jeremy, 1650-1726 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

English theatre critic, theologian, and leading non-juror bishop (clergy who refused to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs William III and Mary II following the deposition of James II in the Glorious Revolution of 1688). Collier is most remembered for his 1698 anti-theatre pamphlet, A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage. This pamphlet attacks significant playwrights such as John Dryden, John Vanbrugh, William Congreve, and William Wycherley.

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

One of the most important British Romantic period writers and a mesmerizing conversationalist and lecturer, Coleridge authored poetry, plays, criticism, journalism, and philosophical works. His most important poetic works include Poems on Various Subjects (1796), Fears in Solitude (1798), Lyrical Ballads (with William Wordsworth, 1798), Christabel; Kubla Khan, a Vision; The Pains of Sleep (1816), and Sibylline Leaves (1817). His plays include The Fall of Robespierre (with Robert Southey 1794) and Remorse (1813).

Cléry, M., 1759-1809 (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

Jean Baptiste Cléry, the personal cameriere (valet) of King Louis XVI during his imprisonment, published his journal of the revolution, Journal de ce qui s'est passé à la tour du Temple pendant la captivité de Louis XVI, in 1798. It contained a moving account of the king's treatment at the hands of the revolutionary government and his last farewell to his family before his death. and

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, -30 B.C. (Library of Congress Name Authority)—

The prototypic romantic femme fatal, Cleopatra VII Philopator was the lover of Julius Caesar, later wife of Mark Antony, and final ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. After the assassination of Caesar, Cleopatra allied herself with the Second Triumvirate, whose foremost members were Antony and Octavian. Cleopatra and Antony began their love affair while Antony remained married to Octavian's sister, Octavia, and Antony became heavily reliant on Cleopatra as a source of funding and military aid.