Congreve, William, 1670-1729

English playwright, poet, translator, man of letters, and Whig politician who is widely considered among the greatest comic writers of the Restoration period. Congreve's writings helped to shape the comedy of manners genre through his mastery of comic dialogue and satire. Congreve became the protégé of John Dryden at the age of 17, later to collaborate with him on his Satires of Juvenal and Persius (1693). Congreve's most notable plays include The Old Bachelor (1693), The Double Dealer (1694), Love for Love (1695), The Mourning Bride (1697), and The Way of the World (1700).

Colman, George, 1762-1836

Following in his father's footsteps as an actor, manager, and comic playwright, Colman the Younger also authored a enormous body of work that includes as some of its most substantial pieces Inkle and Yarico (1787), The Iron Chest 1796), The Heir-at-Law (1797), and John Bull (1803). He succeeded his father as manager of the Haymarket Theatre, filling that role from 1794 to 1817.

Colman, George, 1732-1794

This playwright, theater manager, and close friend to actor David Garrick was also known as a generous mentor in the eighteenth century theatrical world. Among the most popular of his many works figure The Clandestine Marriage (1766), Polly Honeycombe (1760), and The Jealous Wife (1761). Colman the Elder managed the Haymarket Theatre from 1776 to 1794.

Collins, Wilkie, 1824-1889

English novelist, trained lawyer, and father of the first English detective novels. Of his more than 30 novels, various short stories, travel literature, and plays, The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868) are the most well-known because of their contributions to the genre of detective fiction. He was also friends with Charles Dickens, whose periodical Household Words published many of Collins’ novels.

Collins, William, 1788-1847

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.