ABSTRACT
Marion Harry Alexander Spielmann was a productive British art critic, scholar, and author. From 1886 to 1904 he was editor of The Magazine of Art and was able to exercise some influence on contemporary artistic taste, through his encouragement and publication of the major artists and critics of the day. He was personally interested in the more commercial side of art and design practice, especially in posters, illustrations and engravings. He also wrote widely for the popular press as an art critic and essayist, as well as publishing more scholarly monographs and surveys. The American illustrated monthly Scribner’s Magazine began circulation in 1887, and soon became known as a sophisticated monthly journal with an emphasis on the arts. This was manifest in its offerings of art criticism, quality illustrations, and a range of literary and cultural works. It competed for a middle-class audience with other journals including Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, the Century Magazine, and the Atlantic Monthly.
