ABSTRACT
The Victorian art world was one of the most vibrant and successful in Britain’s history. The evidence to support this sweeping claim can be readily found in a variety of developments, including the rise in the status and number of artists; the burgeoning demand for exhibitions and the expansion of the commercial market; the explosion in ‘black and white’ illustration and the emergence of a specialist art press (with the accompanying copyright legislation); the appearance of new art forms like photography alongside the revival of earlier media like fresco; and the influence of new discoveries upon all aspects of artistic convention and subject matter. From its materials and production to its display and consumption, the art of the nineteenth century represented a transformation in Britain’s earlier artistic traditions.
