Pre Raphaelite Photography by Graham Ovenden

Such didacticism is particularly evident in the paintings by the Irish artist William Mulready, which include Train Up a Child (1841) and A Mother Teaching Her Son (1859). Genre paintings capitalized upon themes inspired by contemporary daily life, and many scenes depicted fictionalized domesticity while reinforcing middle-class beliefs. Underlying these representations of young protagonists were adult values that clearly demarcated and endorsed gendered constructions of childhood, whether of demure girls or mischievous boys. In addition, numerous illustrators–particularly K ATE G REENAWAY, B EATRIX P OTTER, Arthur Rackham, and Walter Crane– achieved fame for their contributions to a flourishing market in CHILDREN' S LITERATURE. Among the most significant painters of the time was the Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais, who produced numerous landmark images of young protagonists such as My First Sermon (1863), a pair titled Sleeping and Waking (c. Their range of subjects– from the sentimentalized girl to the young urban worker– was quite vast.

Countless artists tackled the theme of childhood, which was popular throughout Queen Victoria's long reign and especially during the years 1850–1880. In the realm of the fine arts, Victorian images appeared mostly as prints, paintings, and illustrations in magazines and books. The period witnessed a significant increase in the volume of paintings, books, toys, advice manuals, and other things designed specifically with children in mind. Good + / good +.The Victorian era (1837–1901) in Great Britain marked the advent of a new kind of childhood, at least for the privileged classes, and when compared with the less child-friendly eighteenth century. IN his selection of what are amongst the most beautiful photographs ever produced, he has shown how a shared imaginative and aesthetic ethos influences the representation of reality in any pictorial medium.(Publisher). There are many direct links between individual photographs and specific paintings and drawings but Ovenden, whilst drawing attention to these, has not sought to establish priorities. From Rossetti's superb series of photographs of William Morris's wife Jane we can see the inspiration behind the Brotherhood's ideal of feminine beauty.

Graham Ovenden has discovered, selected and assembled photographs from the 1850s and 1870s which in style, mood and content faithfully reflect Pre-Raphaelite art. Less often considered is the equally interesting question of the influence of art on photography and the subtle interaction between the two. The influence of photography on art is a much debated subject. Bound in green paper over boards with spine lettered in gilt. Mild wear to unclipped dust jacket with rubbing, toning, and gentle bumps to covers, corners, and edges. Ovenden, Graham Pre-Raphaelite Photography

Pre Raphaelite Photography by Graham Ovenden