Sleep is good, books are better
'The Funeral of Shelley’ by Louis Édouard Fournier (1889). The Walker Gallery, Liverpool, UK. The painting depicts the funeral of the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley on a beach in Tuscany (18 July, 1822). It is said by some that Edward Trelawny plucked Shelley’s carbonised heart from the ashes, but was eventually persuaded to hand... Continue Reading →
The Day Dream (1880) - By Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882). Victoria & Albert Museum. Readers reading #9 Instead of 'Readers reading', perhaps this one ought to be titled 'Reader forgetting about reading' - we've all done it, one moment reading, the next drifting into a dream. Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #8 Answering the Emigrant's Letter (1850) - By James Collinson. Oil on panel. 70 x 89cm. Manchester City Art Gallery. A lovely painting - I have looked at it many times in Manchester City Art Gallery (UK). It leaves my imagination free to wrap many stories around it. Not forgetting the amazing, deep... Continue Reading →
The Breakfast (c.1911) – By William McGregor Paxton. Private collection. The Breakfast (c.1911) – By William McGregor Paxton. Private collection. See previous post. Captions as promised - I couldn't resist it! My apologies to Mr Paxton. Readers reading on Piterest (via The Long Victorian) https://uk.pinterest.com/longvictorian2/readers-reading/ The 'Readers reading' series on this blog (this list last... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #7 The Breakfast (c.1911) - By William McGregor Paxton. Private collection. I am very tempted to add thought bubbles for each of the subjects in this painting. If you have any suggestions as to what they might be thinking, let me know! Perhaps they are pondering the books that were published that year... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #6 The Travelling Companions (1862) - By Augustus Egg (1816 –1863). Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Oil on canvas. 65.3 x 78.7 cm What strikes most people first is that the two young women look almost like a mirror image of each other. There is a post on doppelgängers in Victorian art here.... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #4 The Novel Reading (1841) - By Josef Danhauser: 1805-1845. A happy couple. I wonder what the armour, book on the floor and general clutter means? I suspect it must mean something because the artist (Josef Danhauser) was a man whose work was inspired by a wonderful series of engravings by the English painter,... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #3 A Pleasant Corner (1865) - By John Callcott Horsley: 1817 – 1903. Donated to the Royal Academy by the artist. "Sorry to disturb, thought you might like a cup of tea." The third post in the “Readers reading” series (this was the first, this was the second). The colours and the shading... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #2 Carl Spitzweg – The Bookworm – 1850 – Museum Georg Schafer, Schweinfurt, German. Ahh .... I'm envious. Just don't step backwards! This post is the second in a series on art showing "Readers reading" (this was the first). My background in the booktrade and as a librarian has probably had an influence... Continue Reading →
Readers reading #1 A Girl Reading In A Sailing Boat (1869) By Alfred Corbould (1852 - 1920). A Girl Reading In A Sailing Boat (1869) by Alfred Chantrey Corbould (1852-1920). Looking at those dates, it makes the artist about 17 years old when he painted this lovely work. Alfred came from a long line of... Continue Reading →
The Long Victorian 