Victorian Vision - Hardcover

Mackenzie, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810965798 ISBN 13: 9780810965799

Publisher: Victoria & Albert Museum, 2001

Synopsis

One hundred years after the death of Queen Victoria, Western culture still bears the indelible imprint of her reign. The hallmarks of the modern world—global commerce and communications, shopping and leisure, sports and entertainment—first emerged during the Victorian era. This landmark book, published to accompany a major exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, immerses readers in a wealth of imagery and facts that bring to life this extraordinary period of human achievement.

The Victorian Vision presents life in the latter part of the 19th century on both a grand and intimate scale, from the small innovations that began to transform domestic life to the huge societal shifts brought about by expanded rail and maritime travel to the new trends in art and design fueled by access to Africa and the East. With superb illustrations and expert texts that illuminate their subject without confining it within a 21st-century point of view, this book not only revisits a colorful period in history but also re-examines the origins of our own era.

About this title

About the Author

John M. MacKenzie is a professor of Imperial history at Lancaster University in England. His acclaimed writings on the culture of imperialism include Propaganda and Empire and The Empire of Nature. He is consultant curator of the accompanying exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Reviews

"The Victorian Vision," a current exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, tries for nothing less than a reassessment of the Victorian era. The exhibition aims to prove that the Victorians were not the repressed and repressive people they are often said to be. Instead, this exhibition and this wonderful volume views them as inventive, innovative, willing to experiment and try new ideas, and concerned with the future of Britain. Between Victoria's accession as queen in 1837 and her death in 1901, the 18th-century mode of life had been swept aside the modern age fully replacing it. This volume examines society, the royal family, children, religion and women. Various contributors examine the Empire, art and industry, and everyday life. Throughout, we are treated to wonderful photographs of the art, objects of everyday life, technological wonders in fact, the full panorama of the incredible energy of Victorian England as seen through surviving objects of the time. This important book effectively illuminates its subject and makes a major contribution to the study of 19th-century England. The photographs are sharp and clear; the bibliography is full and carefully done. Recommended for all collections. Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Victoria & Albert Museum
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0810965798
• ISBN 13: 9780810965799
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 360