The era of Darwin, Tennyson, Dickens, labor laws, the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts movement.
c. 1848 - 1870
Beginner's guide
The Pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetic movement were each, in their own way, reacting to the consequences of the industrial revolution.
videos + essays
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William Morris, useful beauty in the home
Discover the radical politics of interior design in the Arts & Crafts movement.
Anna Atkins and the cyanotype process
Although today Atkins’s prints are sold and viewed as art, they were originally made as botanical illustrations.
William Powell Frith, Derby Day
Everyone wanted to have a look at the cast of characters Frith created—their variety provides the modern viewer with a fascinating glimpse into Victorian life.
William Holman Hunt, The Lady of Shalott
The Lady of Shalott is a powerful example of later Pre-Raphaelitism.
Ford Madox Brown, The Last of England
The Last of England is a poignant reminder of the journey made by millions of people during the 19th century.
William Holman Hunt, Isabella or the Pot of Basil
Throughout his career, Hunt stayed close to the aesthetic of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in his attention to detail and insistence on narrative content.
A Portrait of John Ruskin and Masculine Ideals of Dress in the Nineteenth Century
The contrast between the dark menswear and the ornate womenswear of the 19th century helped to cast women as accessories of their fathers or husbands.
Sleeping Beauty — but without the Kiss: Burne-Jones and the Briar Rose series
A princess falls under a spell and sleeps for a hundred years — but Burne-Jones never shows us the kiss that awakens her.
The Aesthetic Movement
This controversial new movement claimed that art could be divorced from moral or narrative content.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Beata Beatrix
In this tragic painting, Rossetti draws a comparison between himself and the medieval poet who shared his name.
Curator’s choice – Ford Madox Brown’s Work
Visually and politically radical, Work provides a visualization of the English social classes.
Curator’s choice – Millais’s Isabella
Made when he was nineteen, this painting by Millais was a pictorial manifesto for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
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