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The Colours of the Past in Victorian England

Charlotte Ribeyrol editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

Published:4th Jun '16

Should be back in stock very soon

The Colours of the Past in Victorian England cover

The experience of colour underwent a significant change in the second half of the nineteenth century, as new coal tar-based synthetic dyes were devised for the expanding textile industry. These new, artificial colours were often despised in artistic circles who favoured ancient and more authentic forms of polychromy, whether antique, medieval, Renaissance or Japanese. However faded, ancient hues were embraced as rich, chromatic alternatives to the bleakness of industrial modernity, fostering fantasized recreations of an idealized past.
The interdisciplinary essays in this collection focus on the complex reception of the colours of the past in the works of major Victorian writers and artists. Drawing on close analyses of artworks and literary texts, the contributors to this volume explore the multiple facets of the chromatic nostalgia of the Victorians, as well as the contrast between ancient colouring practices and the new sciences and techniques of colour.

«Charlotte Ribeyrol has edited a wonderful collection of essays that deepens our appreciation of material culture and broadens our understanding of colour in the revolutionary nineteenth century.»
(Adam Lee, Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies 27/2018)

«Appealing to literary and art historical scholars alike, The Colours of the Past in Victorian England offers a new way of observing nineteenth-century visual culture by revealing the visual and linguistic chromatic vibrancy of Victorian England.»
(Sarah Hook, BAVS Newsletter 18.1 2018)

ISBN: 9783034319744

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 470g

310 pages

New edition