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High
Victorian Style
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The Great Exhibition (1851) Perhaps the defining event of the High Victorian Era was the Great Exhibition of 1851, London, was the showcase for Britain's industrial achievements. The exhibition hall of glass and steel (the 'Crystal Palace') was designed by Joseph Paxton. Regarded as a great success by some, others thought the products on display were excessively complex and ornamental, cold and industrial, and out of touch with people's needs. The exhibition was the catalyst for design reform, giving rise to the Arts and Crafts Movement led by William Morris. We will be covering later Victorian styles such as Japonisme and the Arts and Crafts Movement in more detail over the next two weeks. britainexpress.com/History/great_exhibition.htm |
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Some examples of High Victorian Designers: E T Bellhouse (1816 -1881) Designed prefabricated iron buildings, including inexpensive ready-made buildings that emigrants to the new colonies could take with them for erection on arrival. |
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A W N Pugin (1812-1852) AWN
Pugin was the leading architect of the Victorian Gothic Revival.
As a passionate convert to Roman Catholicism in his early 20's, he
wanted to inspire religious awe by reproducing genuine medieval craftsmanship
in grand cathedrals. Apart from his buildings, Pugin also made furniture
and tableware in a medieval style. He published influential works
such as "The True Principles of Christian Architecture".
This stream of Victoriana evolved into the Arts & Crafts Movement and Aestheticism, which we'll be covering over the next weeks. |
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The nostalgia for glorious times past also showed in jewellery in the Celtic Revival style. Celtic crosses also became popular in this period. These had not been used since Medieval times. The Celtic Revival was particularly popular in Ireland and Scotland for political reasons (note: the Welsh, Scots and Irish are generally of Celtic origin, whereas the English are not). It was especially significant in literature. These were not just decorative items, but emblems of patriotism and a national identity - the context in this case was very important. mytravelguide.com/city-guide/Europe-&-Russia/Ireland/Literature/1780-1880:-The-Celtic-Revival |
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Owen Jones (1809-1874) As
well as collecting the exotic from their colonial expansion, the Victorians
also loved to document it. Owen Jones was a Welsh architect who travelled
all over the world on a Grand Tour, collecting and copying architectural
ornamentation. His lush, beautifully illustrated and yet very scientific
volumes are still being published today as sourcebooks for architects,
interior designers and artists.
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Some other recommended Victoriana resources: Google.com
image search for High Victorian |
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Contextual factors to consider:
Some key technical innovations:
Meanwhile, in Fine Art:
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graphics, text and design: copyright retrokat.com 2001-4
References: Partly based on lecture notes prepared by P. Garn-Jones. Additional
material by Kat Black.
Note: If you personally hold copyright to any images or other content herein
and wish it to be removed or credited,
please email me on kat@retrokat.com
and I'm more than happy to do so.