The Golden Age of Illustration, Arts & Crafts and Women's Art
IMAGINARIUM : An Alternate History of Art
Welcome to Imaginarium: an alternate history of art. A podcast where we delve in to the most obscure parts of art history.
Hello dear listeners, I’m your host Nadjah, and in this podcast, we try to shed light on less studied parts of the history of art and visual culture. This episode is the start of a very special mini-season that I have been working on for this second iteration of the podcast, which will be a deep dive on the subject of the Golden Age of Illustration, a subject that deeply fascinates me, and that I’m very excited to share with you, if my heart ever wanted to do a master’s in art history, this is definitely one of the subject I would love to study. From folklore, fairytales, books and posters, the world of the printed medium was one that was exerting domination on the world of art and had a reach that fine art did not have. And I’m very excited to explore all of it with you. In today’s episode, we’re going to start by introducing a bit the golden age, the historical context in which it flourished, as well as understanding the movement of Arts and Crafts and into the world of the feminine artists of the Golden Age. We have a whole lot to cover, so without further ado … let’s begin.
Let’s start by talking about the Golden Age of Illustration and simply setting the scene we are going to explore for the next six episodes. The golden age of illustration is that period of 50 years between the 1870s and the 1920s where the medium of illustration was at its highest peak especially within the mind of the general audience. The art of illustration was an incredibly popular one, and to be honest, it actually continued to be until roughly.. the 1950s and 1960s until which, photography slowly started to replace illustrations as it was a cheaper to commission photographers, rather than illustrators. But these specific 50 years of the golden age of illustration were a time where illustration was a medium where the limelight was shining on the medium of illustration and it was extremely valued, and so were the artists. From fairytales illustrations to Art nouveau posters and Art déco style magazine covers, illustration was successful in a way that was never seen previously. When it comes to the golden age of Illustration, as it is known, it is definitely concentrated within the west, specifically in England, France and the United-States, as well as various european countries. Of course, me being me, we will indeed try to explore what effects colonialism and imperialism had on this subject, even if I will not focus on non-western artists for this mini-season, rest assured that I will bring a perspective that will constantly challenge the imperialist and racist social constructs of the era, and who it affects the way we understand art. This era is fascinating in how the art of illustration itself in so many different iterations and directions, and I am terribly excited to be able to explore this incredibly rich and prolific period of art history with you all.
The historical context of the golden age was one where the technological progress made it possible to print easily and very quickly as well as in a mass quantity to keep up with the demand for books, magazines, prints and posters. The printed medium became easier than ever to create and more popular than ever before. with the advent of lithography, woodblock printing and other technologies which made it all the more easier to create several copies of the same illustration, it thus became something that was so easy to do. The artists could simply sketch and draw something very quickly and print it almost as quickly. When i say quick, of course, this is the 19th century, and it was not spontaneous the way it almost is now, but it was faster than it ever had been before. Illustration existed in many forms during that era, caricature in the daily journals, small and intricate art at the beginning of a chapter, posters to advertise for an upcoming show. The golden age of illustration was probably marked by the beginning of the highly fast pace of the book publishing industry, a rate that just kept on accelerating and accelerating, to a level that is almost anxiety inducing, but that’s mostly me, and the reason why I barely keep up with newly published books, unless a friend is publishing something or recommending me something in particular. It’s a pace that keeps being pushed faster and faster, and to be honest, I have no idea if it is even possible to keep up. With this working pace, it is no surprise then that illustration, graphic design and prints were very much in demand.
When it comes to this era of art, I think we should start by the movement of arts and crafts, which was started in the United Kingdom by William Morris in the second half of the 20th century. It was a movement that was trying to be a counterpoint to the extreme industrialization and mass production of the time and wanted to offer an alternate way of life and of thinking than the generally accepted one. When something happens , there is very often then an opposite reaction to it, it is an almost certain fact of human nature. I think this is a familiar idea to us now, especially with the prominence of movements such as cottagecore and the slowlife movement. But when it came to Arts and Crafts, it was really in response to that mass-production and industrialization that was beginning to take over society. It was a natural response to the societal anxieties of the time, in a world that was changing extremely rapidly and at a speed that was never reached before that. Another important component of the Arts and Crafts was that they thought that the craftsmanship in factory made items weren’t up to par, compared to handmade and crafted objects, and really advocated for well made quality objects, where one could really appreciate the work and design put into creating it. This movement really was the heartbeat and the spirit of the time, and ended up putting a lot of the ground work for many of the subsequent art styles in this era that is the golden age of illustration, but also just generally as a mindset and a way of life during the latest years of the 19th century, a mindset that would become incredibly influential. It advocated for a simpler way of life and an appreciation of the value of the things we make with our own hands, of the talents that craftspeople have. Something that, I think, we have so clearly lost nowadays.
I think especially when it comes to fashion and garment making now, permit me to go on a bit of a rant and a bit of a tangent, but I feel like that sort of thing reminds me a lot of how guess I feel in this case, the same way the english people felt in how the industrialisation had banalized the style of the decorative arts, as well as being constructed with a lower craftsmanship, taste, and endurance of material. Might this be familiar ? This is capitalism babey. We can also see this with fast fashion as well. lower quality objects that last for a shorter amount of time. There was a devaluation of the work of craftsmen that came to be the general attitude with the generalization of industrialization, something that is definitely coming to a peak in our current time. People wanted their clothes, and decorative items faster and for a fraction of the price, but also, very often, people are not able to afford more than that. In the end, I guess there is only one culprit and that is capitalism. When it comes to clothing now, the level of quality and craft is very low, and it is not expected for any garment to truly last for a long amount of time, so often, someone will buy a 5$ teeshirt that will simply disintegrate after one or two washes.
And I will not get … too much into it, because this is a subject i’m terribly passionate about and this could last for hours, and this is really is not what we are here to talk about, but it is still important, within the context of the arts and crafts movement and the mindset that they had during the late 19th century, but just in general, for us today, this is terrible and shitty on three levels. First of all, the only way something can cost this little, is because costs were cut at every level, when it comes to fabric and material, but most importantly when it comes to human labor. And knowing that most of the people who are employed to make those garments so cheaply are women of the global south. So this is not only an issue of labor and unions, but also of sexism and racism. Secondly, when it comes to clothing, it has never been cheaper in the entire history of the world to buy it. Fabrics and clothing used to be extremely costly, and rightly so when you consider the amount of knowledge and work that goes behind them, which means that the way we view clothing now is as entirely disposable ressources. We buy and discard clothing so easily, and there is a reason why fashion is the most polluting industry.
This is a consequence of overconsumption when it comes to fashion, a mindset that is detrimental to the environment and etc etc to reverse climate change. And look, i know im far from perfect when it comes to this, i love clothing, i love fashion, but it is definitely a change in mindset that is needed, and it’s something that i have been working on and that is incredibly important to me, to try and be a bit more sustainable where i can, but the most important is to support unions and fighting for fair wages, because then when the garment makers are paid fairly, the prices of the clothing will go up, and then hopefully, people will consume less and it will end up being better for the environment. As usual capitalism is the culprit. And lastly, fast fashion made us lose the art, the craft, the immensely complex and exquisite fabrics and embroideries. the art of tailoring, clothes now dont FIT us because there’s no more local tailor that will fit the garment exactly how you want it to fit, because we have lost so much knowledge and expertise when it comes traditional garment making that are part of our culture, as a factor or both imperialism and capitalism. I can reference the history of indian muslin an elaborate fabric that was stolen and cruelly stumped voluntarily, and that the knowledge of how to create it has been lost forever due to british imperialism. We can see that those cultural items have been largely abandoned in favor of a homogenized fashion culture with trends that cycle faster than seasons…
Well sorry for this rant. So during the 1960s, artists and craftsmen such as William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones were at the forefront of the movement of the Arts and Crafts, that was a way of counteracting the very fast industrialization of the british society in the 19th century. The aim of that movement was to put the focus again on the quality of craftsmanship and taking the time to create something beautiful and long lasting. Their mean focus was on interior design, jewelry, textiles, furniture, and basically all kind of arts and crafts were one would take the time to create something from their own hands. One of William Morris’ specialty was the wallpaper, a brilliant use of patterns, of colors and natural motifs. As it can be possible to see, the arts and crafts movement was a very domestic one, that was very closely linked with the arts of the house. The arts & crafts movement was thus on an ideological level, but also definitely on a very aesthetic and visual level, the ancestor of so many art movements and style that we will be discussing in this mini season, movements like art nouveau, art déco, and illustration in general in the later years of the 19th century. The movement declined itself in different ways depending on where it was happening, the movement originated in the United-Kingdom, and there is a very specific british aesthetic to this, with the artists such as Burne-Jones, Morris and Ruskin being at the helm of how this movement developed there.
There’s a tendency to really think abt these movements only where they started, in this case in England, but the movement of Arts and crafts tapped into something important, that desire to have something beatiful, well crafted, and durable, of something that had soul and heart and creativity and was unique, and not simply a product of factories and capitalism, and this is something that I think has been increasingly felt during the 19th century and all the way through today with the constant progress of mass-industrialism and the devaluation of culture and historical significance, and simply the skill that humans can have. There is an importance in something made by hand, to something that took the time to create, and that will be durable. We live in an era of overconsumption, and I think changing at least a bit that mindset to try and haeb less things of better quality taht will last longer, is one of the most straightforward things we can do that truly is in our hands, not that it is easy, mind you, and we are genuinely conditioned to simply want More, and like i will be frank with you that this is something that I still hugely struggle with, even though i am definitely trying my best. Of course, there is only so much we can do as people, but i do think that social change needs to begin as well with personal change that will then bring a social pressure on governments and corporations. But genuinely, it is insane how much emphasis is put on personal responsibility when corporate pollution is the leading cause of climate change. There needs to be pressure put on a global change, the corporations and the ultra rich need to be held accountable, and efficient policies need to be applied. Anyway this is something that I think about a lot.
But the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement traveled far and wide, as this anxiety about the fallout of the industrial revolution were universal, and dealt with the really important issues of industrialization, capitalization and the alienation that people felt toward their work, and strived to emphasize the importance of hand craftsmanship instead of the mass produced objects and products that were of a lesser quality, comparatively. For example in Japan, The Mingei Movement, translated literally to « the crafts of the people » was the artistic movement that philosophically aligned with the Arts and crafts movement in terms of wanting to put the focus again on traditional craftsmanship, instead of the frenzied pace of rapid mass produced items. The mingei movement was happening in the 1920s and 1930s especially with the figure of Yanagi Soetsu who wrote the book « the beauty of everyday things » pioneering the movement. This focus on everyday life and the valorization of traditional craftsmanship was also often accompanied by a desire of a slower life and the enjoyment of the domestic sphere, instead of the rapid pace of urban life.
The focus on traditional folk art, can also be seen as a defence in the face of colonialism and imperialism, as a way to retain and protect identity in the way of forced assimilation and conformity, especially when the default is always set as Western and White. The protection of folk arts can be a protection of the uniqueness and authenticity of culture against the global uniformisation of imperialism and capitalism. While there is definitely net positives to the globalization, a better awareness of the world around us, more access to information and knowledge. There is no doubt that this sort of forced a common uniform,,devoid of personality. In a way the cult of individuality has made society devoid of individuality nor originality. The traditional garments are beautiful, colorful, sometimes minimalistic, sometimes maximalist, but always always wonderful. I say all of this but i will not lie, i’m definitely someone who always loves a good suit on anybody, but I think that there is definitely a difference between a Savile Row made suit , for example, by a tailor who spent years learning how to create the perfect lapel and how certain fabrics hang, and a Shein garment that will be thrown out in the next week, There is something sad about how traditional garments all but left our daily closet, only to be worn on special occasions IF THAT, there is this seemingly uniform quality to all of culture, in a sort of one dimensional culture-less mass. And this is why, I think, history and art history, and the preservation of cultural items is extremely important, and all of this, without falling into the trap of dangerous nationalism, but that particular subject, my dears, is a talk for another day. The valorisation of craftsmanship and the arts, is extremely important, not only on an academic level, but also for our souls. To embrace the complexity of what humanity can create.
But even if this mindset ended up being international, there should be a note of the international influences that were impactful on the Arts and Crafts movement, namely the influence of the Damascus School, a 16th and early 19th century school of pottery, of the tiles of the Ottoman Empire and these were the objects that were collected and admired by western artists, notably one William Morris. When i say that the english were collecting these, i mean that for example, the painter Lord Leighton, brought back several rooms worth of tiles from destroyed and crumbling buildings in Syria. Maybe I’m going to be controversial, but doesn’t this sound like stealing to you ? Especially considering that these tiles are still in England in the Arab Hall of the Leighton House Museum.
I know this subject is super complex and full of nuances, but one thing that should be clear and devoid of complications, is that the items that were once stolen need to be given back to the countries they were stolen from. The complexities and nuances lie not in that simple fact, but in the unraveling of imperialism, and colonialism, and encouraging more historians, art historians, archeologists, museum workers, archivists and conservators from colonized countries, for them to be able to learn and experience their own history. There is an instagram account I follow that basically is called « algerian history in museum » and basically posts about algerian artefacts that are currently kept in museums and details of those objects, to familiarize the audience to the history of Algeria and Algerian arts, and it is always such a punch to the face to see how many of these items are in western museums. In France, in England, in the United States, in Germany. All items that were stolen from this country during the colonization, and that should be given back. This is something i feel very passionate about and I am so done with hearing people giving arguments like how the locals do not know how to take care of these items, so they are safer / more exhibited, which is an argument that I think is simply completely dumb, when you account how much knowledge and ressources were stolen from these countries, and thus they should give those artefacts back, as well as teach them how to take care of them. I’m sorry I am always so passionate about this subject, because I simply think it is a question of doing the right thing. It doesn’t mean it will be immediate, but it simply the thing that should be done. On top of paying reparations with inflation from the colonizers to the colonized countries, but that is a discussion for another time. Before I move on, I want to take the time to recommend the podcast « stuff the british stole » which compiles stories of items… that the british stole, it is hosted by the amazing Marc Fennell, and it was an immense joy to listen to.
There is also definitely something to be said Something to be said here abt how these are very historically feminine crafts that are devalued when done by women, but somehow are worth something when made by men. We continue to see this tendency even today, with men in the fashion or beauty industry being celebrated more than women, or male chef vs female chefs, because there is somehow still that expectation that women who cook well, do it because that is simply what they are supposed to do. Meanwhile when a man loves to cook and is good at it, this is somehow considered as more valuable, anyway the patriarchy is very fun ….There were definitely women being part of the movement of arts and crafts, but more often than not, they have been relegated to history and forgotten, while the men have been celebrated. We immediately think abt Dante Gabriel Rosetti, one of the main painters of the movement of pre-raphaelism, but might forget about his sister Christina Rossetti, or his wife Elizabeth, and the movement of Arts and Crafts, despite focusing on mostly traditionally feminine crafts, is no exception. Their contributions to these art genres are often largely ignored, and that is a broader issue of sexism across the board in art history, but something that has been definitely changing during the past decades, even tho there is still a long way to go.
Artists such as Mary Lowndes who was a talented stained glass artist or Mary Watts, Mary morris, the daughter of William morris, that constantly lived with his fame and notoriety overshadowing her work even tho she was as talented in her own right as him and his contemporaries. What is very interesting, is that these women were very involved in textiles art, embroidery, weaving and ceramics, all of which are very women centrics crafts and occupations. While it didn’t mean necessarily that only women were doing these, historically, it has always been connected to the feminine. I have a lot of opinions about how textile arts have slowly been devalued and underrated, leading to fast fashion and the refusal to pay garment makers their due value. The art of the textiles, the amount of time, effort and skills it takes for embroidery, weaving, pattern-making, sewing, and I think it is not a coincidence that it is a primarily female occupation.
Illustration as a whole, was often considered one of the lower arts, compared o the fine art, but in that era, there was a definite valorisation of the art of illustration, but aso generally of the work of artisans and craftsmen. The golden age of illustration was an era where the art of illustration was really valued the way it deserved in my opinion. Beatrix Potter is one of the popular woman illustrators of the later years of the 19th years and she is well known for her incredibly charming illustrations of adorable anthropomorphic animals and their adventures in the rural regions, it is all very cottagecore, and representing an idyllic and ideal life in the countryside. Her art was created from her sense of perception, she copied what she saw extremely well, she had a very keen sense of observation, and was even told so by the notable painter John Everett Millais. She had a very keen interest in sciences, ranging from geology to fungi. Natural sciences were an passion of hers, and it bled in the way she approached art, which was in a very rigorous and almost scientific manner.
Beatrix Potter’s affinity for natural sciences and scientific illustrations is something that was not unique to her, Edith Holden, the author of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady in 1906 was chock full of really adorable botanical and nature illustrations in her books. all of that is very adorable and cottagecore and exemplary of a slow pastoral life . Her book was simply a record of her daily life, starting with the month of January, with notes about plants and animals, quotes and poems. When you read this book, it definitely feels like a snapshot of a particular moment in time, captured by this woman artist and the way she spent her days and experienced her life.
Beatrix Potter was someone who did the best of the situation she was in, and even tho she was dismissed as a scientist because of her being a woman, but she never let that stopping her from living a fulfilled life on her own terms. Her art was beautiful, precise and heartwarming, she weave tales of wonder and magic and was in that generation of illustrators that really focused on the children’s book and really focused on a younger audience, something that we will dive a bit more into later on. The adventures of Peter Rabbit were a staple of children’s picture books of the late 19th century and early 20th century. A lovely depiction of childhood, a delicate watercolor vision of the countryside. And yet, they were reflections of the era she was living in, of the late victorian era, and also the themes of repression and restriction were very prevalent in her works, a subject that Mandy L. Dewilde explores it in her thesis « Victorian Restriction, Restraint, and Escape in the Children's Tales of Beatrix Potter »
« The themes of restriction, most particularly in the forms of strangulation and physical bondage, and themes of escapism are especially apparent in the children’s tales of Beatrix Potter. Restrictive mothers and constrictive clothing cause the most trouble for Potter’s child animal characters, though they become trapped by garden walls, tree trunks, barnyard equipment such as troughs and barrels, natural predators including humans, and of course clothing. It is through this unnatural use of clothing that animals are kept from acting as instinct allows. The restrictive mothers, fashioned after the upper-middle class Victorian mother, want to domesticate their children and force them to confine their base instincts in the clothing they wear. These themes can also be found in Potter’s accompanying illustrations »
The art that she was creating was an escape for her feelings about her life, maybe in a way she did not even comprehend herself. Being an illustrator was a career that was accessible and acceptable for a woman, and it gave the opportunity to a lot of women to be financially independent in a time where there was not a lot of opportunities for women to do so. It was a career choice that was considered « acceptable » for a lady. Kate Greenaway was an artist who, to me, really embodies this influence that the movement of arts and crafts had on the general mindset of the late 19th century and on the artists of that era. Greenaway is mostly known as a book illustrator, but she was an artist who knew a great amount of commercia success during her era, from her books to freelance work, she was genuinely an artist who succeeded. From tales to a book illustrating the language of flowers (which btw I own that one and it is tremendously adorable) to her start in illustrating greeting cards, Greenaway really took advantage of the engouement and love for the printed medium that was shaking the UK during the 2nd half of the 19th century. I think her illustrations are incredibly in advance on her time, with clean and precise lines reminiscent of the lines of art déco, almost 40 years before it was popular. She was a big artistic influences on several artists after her, notably one dutch illustrator Henriette Wilebeek Le Mair that i have no qualms about pinpointing as one of my personal favorite women illustrator, and not only just in terms of the golden age of illustrations. I just think there’s a very delicate charm to her art that really appeals to me. She also had a very long body of work that mainly included books geared toward very young children. She was extremely talented at capturing that very specific atmosphere and innocence of childhood. We will discuss the ramification of the creation of childhood in a later episode, so please do keep that in mind. But there is a very carefree and sweet atmosphere to Wilebeek Le Mair’s art that makes it incredibly soothing to look at.
These women artists of the late 19th century and early 20th century were creating a new vision of art. Each and every one of them embodying the visual diversity of the era, and it is then, that I remember the essay Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin, and I think about how all of these women were amazing artists, that sometimes knew a certain success in their field, but the world of art history does not value the art typically made by women, and it does not value the work that comes from the art of textiles, embroideries and ceramics, and it does not value quote unquote low art. But these women were insanely talented and their art continues to be inspiring and compelling, and I hope people will discover them, again and again.
Before we go, I put a bunch of relevant resources on today’s subject in the show notes, you have some books as well as some theses and articles that you can read if you maybe want to further your knowledge and read more on the subject. As always, all the relevant images will also be on all of our social platforms @ imaginarium_pod on instagram as well as on twitter. This podcast was written, narrated and produced, by yours truly, Nadjah, If you want to support this podcast, you can do so on patreon.com-nadjah , n a d j a h . I want to take this opportunity to thank my patrons : may leigh, vilja sala, Trung-Le Nguyen Cappecci, Jak, Sam Hirst, Jenny, Jameson Gregg as well as Nathalie, thank you so much for making the work i do with this podcast possible.
On this, I wish you all a very lovely day, evening or night, and I hope to see you again very soon.