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The Victorians: Britain Through the Paintings of the Age
From high gothic architecture to the birth of the football league, from the novels of Dickens to the technological marvels of Brunel, the paintings of the era provide an overview that ranges across the whole of Victorian life and culture Jeremy Paxman's unique portrait of the Victorian world takes readers on an exciting journey through the birth of modern Britain. Using the paintings of the era as a starting point, he tells stories of urban life, family, faith, industry, and empire that helped define the Victorian spirit and imagination. To Paxman, these paintings were the television of their day, and his exploration of Victorian art and society explains how artists like Butler, William Powell Frith, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Luke Fildes, and Ford Madox Brown were chronicling a world changing before their eyes. This enthralling history is an opinionated, informed, surprising, and hugely enthusiastic appraisal of the Victorians' influence on modern culture.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2009
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324 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Paxman
23 books103 followersJeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians. His regular appearances on the BBC2's Newsnight programme have been criticised as aggressive, intimidating, condescending and irreverent, and applauded as tough and incisive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 18, 2018
What drove me mad about this art book was the way the art was presented to the reader: the paintings were too small and much of the art work discussed was not in the book! (That is why it got three stars.) However, I found what he wrote fascinating and it did made me appreciate the Victorian art and culture even more. Artists represented are: Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, William Powell Frith, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Luke Fildes, William Michael Rossetti, James Collinson, Frederic George Stephens, Thomas Woolner, Ford Madox Brown and many more. Three star book review.
December 22, 2014
Interesting romp through Victorian paintings - the downside being that not all the paintings discussed were illustrated and those that were although inserted as plates, were squashed two or more to a page so that you couldn't see much of the detail referred to.
August 12, 2016
I wonder how many other passages in the book are plagiarized. Here is the one I found:
Paxman, The Victorians, p. 215:
"Victoria died at Osborne on 22 January 1901 and, when the immediate shock had passed (after all, practically no one, except the very old, could recall what life was like without her), there came amid all other feelings a sense of relief, the prospect of a new sovereign and of a new century. As Virginia Woolf, emancipated from the Stephen family when she moved to Bloomsbury in 1904, put it: 'Everything was going to be new, everything was going to be different(...)" etc."
David Newsome, The Victorian World Picture (1997, p. 246):
"When the old Queen died, and the immediate shock had passed (after all, practically no one, except the very old, could recall what life was like without her), there came - according to E.E. Kellett, 'amid all the other things a sense of relief'10 - the prospect a new century, and a new sovereign. As Virginia Woolf put it, emancipated from the Stephen family home in Kensington when she moved to Bloomsbury in 1904: 'Everything was going to be new, everything was going to be different(...)"
I understand this book was "just" a companion piece for a BBC series, but I've expected more from a journalist of this stature (or his ghostwriter).
Paxman, The Victorians, p. 215:
"Victoria died at Osborne on 22 January 1901 and, when the immediate shock had passed (after all, practically no one, except the very old, could recall what life was like without her), there came amid all other feelings a sense of relief, the prospect of a new sovereign and of a new century. As Virginia Woolf, emancipated from the Stephen family when she moved to Bloomsbury in 1904, put it: 'Everything was going to be new, everything was going to be different(...)" etc."
David Newsome, The Victorian World Picture (1997, p. 246):
"When the old Queen died, and the immediate shock had passed (after all, practically no one, except the very old, could recall what life was like without her), there came - according to E.E. Kellett, 'amid all the other things a sense of relief'10 - the prospect a new century, and a new sovereign. As Virginia Woolf put it, emancipated from the Stephen family home in Kensington when she moved to Bloomsbury in 1904: 'Everything was going to be new, everything was going to be different(...)"
I understand this book was "just" a companion piece for a BBC series, but I've expected more from a journalist of this stature (or his ghostwriter).
September 4, 2017
My first thoughts on entering the pages of this book was that I had bought the wrong book, and that my interest in art history was not strong enough to justify the read.
I loved it however, the mix of art, history and social commentary made a great read.
My main disappointment was the ability to see the pictures in my Kindle edition as I read the text. Once the book was finished, I did some googling and put together some Pinintrest images on my 1863 board.
http://pin.it/rfSGidR
I loved it however, the mix of art, history and social commentary made a great read.
My main disappointment was the ability to see the pictures in my Kindle edition as I read the text. Once the book was finished, I did some googling and put together some Pinintrest images on my 1863 board.
http://pin.it/rfSGidR
April 9, 2012
I loved this: A history book with pictures or an art book with history. Either way it worked perfectly. It made me look again at a few paintings I already knew, introduced me to lots of others I hadn't seen, made me think about the impact of the art as a mass media form and consider more carefully how it reflects/depicts/constructs our view of culture and society. Great to see the John Martin exhibition at the Tate in Dec 2011 having read the book. (ie Art as a public spectacle). The one think I would say is don't be tempted to buy the paperback: I had to return mine - it is half the size of the hardback and loses the image quality. Great supplementary text if you are looking at Victorian Literature.
January 5, 2015
I love reading about art and history, especially when the two are combined, but I have two main criticisms with this book. Because the images of the paintings are lumped together into two sections, there is a lot of flipping back and forth while reading, which really disrupts the flow. Second, there are a substantial number of paintings that are discussed but not pictured, which I found incredibly frustrating.
A more even spacing of the images, and the inclusion of images of ALL the paintings covered would have gotten a higher mark from me; but what should have been an interesting read turned out to be a frustrating chore to get through.
A more even spacing of the images, and the inclusion of images of ALL the paintings covered would have gotten a higher mark from me; but what should have been an interesting read turned out to be a frustrating chore to get through.
September 10, 2012
This book needs to be read sitting next to a computer, so that you can google each painting as it is mentioned. (Maybe the hardback version is better, but the images in the paperback are frustratingly sparse and also quite tiny.) A good read though, if you're into the Victorians... those crazy bastards.
May 26, 2017
It's just one of the best and most complete book I've ever read about the Victorian Era.
November 5, 2024
WIP ...
Review of the Hardback. Beautifully produced with plenty of large colour photographs throughout to bring the text to life. However, not 100% of the mentioned paintings are reproduced, so a laptop is handy whilst reading- but not essential. I learnt the most about Victorian life in the first half of the book (chapters 1 through 3) and read every page, thereafter it began to feel too much like a History of Art book so I merely skimmed. However, I would happily dip back into this book again and recommend to anyone who'd like a visual appreciation of Victorian life explained via their artwork.
Thoughts on my favourite parts:
Introduction
p6 I take the preservation of English heritage buildings for granted. The General Post Office on St martin's Le Grand with its thousand radiant gas lamps was demolished in 1912.
Chapter 1, The Mob in the Picture Gallery
1932: The Town and Country Planning Act gave local authorities the tools to protect historic buildings
Chapter 2: The Long Day's Work
Chapter 3: The Angel in the House.
Review of the Hardback. Beautifully produced with plenty of large colour photographs throughout to bring the text to life. However, not 100% of the mentioned paintings are reproduced, so a laptop is handy whilst reading- but not essential. I learnt the most about Victorian life in the first half of the book (chapters 1 through 3) and read every page, thereafter it began to feel too much like a History of Art book so I merely skimmed. However, I would happily dip back into this book again and recommend to anyone who'd like a visual appreciation of Victorian life explained via their artwork.
Thoughts on my favourite parts:
Introduction
p6 I take the preservation of English heritage buildings for granted. The General Post Office on St martin's Le Grand with its thousand radiant gas lamps was demolished in 1912.
Chapter 1, The Mob in the Picture Gallery
1932: The Town and Country Planning Act gave local authorities the tools to protect historic buildings
Chapter 2: The Long Day's Work
Chapter 3: The Angel in the House.
May 13, 2018
I think this book was extremely interesting, despite being challenging, and was a nice introduction to how history and art intertwined in the Victorian era. It was interesting how the author described each painting and piece of artwork, and gave context, explaining part of the complicated thought process of the artist. Additionally, it was intriguing to hear about the various symbols within the art, that can be blind to the untrained viewer. However, one key issue I had, as with other reviews I’ve read, was the lack of chronological order, which meant we jumped from topic to topic, and from year to year, with no warning. It made it slightly difficult to fully absorb everything, however I learned a lot and appreciated art much more than I initially did.
Would recommend to aspiring art-historians or anyone with an enthusiasm for the Victorian era, it is amazing how much we’ve become shaped by them. (see the thought provoking afterword) !!
Would recommend to aspiring art-historians or anyone with an enthusiasm for the Victorian era, it is amazing how much we’ve become shaped by them. (see the thought provoking afterword) !!
August 22, 2020
I am sorry I didn't read this back when I could have seen the accompanying BBC series, as it would lend itself to the small screen. Still, I really enjoyed this. Paxman is a good, clear writer: he gets the point across well without getting in his own way. He doesn't try to dazzle nor score points as some art historians can do. The structure is excellent: each of 5 distinct themes is explored through the art of the age. For example, The Angel in the House looks at the role of women and marriage as seen through art. There are many sound observations on the works themselves, and just enough detail about the models and artists to provide excellent context. I found it a great follow-on read from The Five, about the women killed by Jack the Ripper, and also A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes #1). I may have to move on from Victorian lives for a while, as there are many more books on the list. But this is a good one.
August 23, 2023
As a lover of Pre-Raphaelite art and individual artists such as the mad, magical Richard Dadd, and the atmospheric work of John Atkinson Grimshaw, it did not take much for me to like this book. The hardback version has many brilliant examples of Victorian art and it was helpful to have context and explanation of the background to many pieces. And to see and read about quite a few works for the first time. So, four marks largely based on the art work.
I am not a fan of Paxman and much of the text here covers well trodden ground of the Victorian period. He, and his ghost writer, may be enthusiastic about art in the period but I did not find much that was "informed" or "surprising" or "controversial". If, by fronting the book of the TV series with a "Big Name" with a professional team in the background, more people are moved to greater appreciation of the art of the Victorian age, fine by me.
I am not a fan of Paxman and much of the text here covers well trodden ground of the Victorian period. He, and his ghost writer, may be enthusiastic about art in the period but I did not find much that was "informed" or "surprising" or "controversial". If, by fronting the book of the TV series with a "Big Name" with a professional team in the background, more people are moved to greater appreciation of the art of the Victorian age, fine by me.
December 29, 2024
I've enjoyed every Jeremy Paxman book I've read. He writes books that are thoughtful but light, serious but witty, The Victorians is no exception. It's a social history of the Victorian period as expressed through the paintingsf the time. And that's the revelatory aspect; he acknowledges in the introduction that there has been a tendency to repect the Victorians for their invention and industry but be sneery about their attitudes. This book revisits our attitudes to 19th century England and makes one rethink. Similarly the art of the period has often been ignored but he offers a different viewpoint, that the pictures explain much about the attitudes of the time, that they were not so dimensional as we've come to accept and the artists have a lot to say. Certainly I'm now going to seek out paintings I would previously ignored. Trip to Tate Britain coming up Wend.
November 25, 2019
Although it rather ironically, as of 2019, opens with Thomas Cook, Paxman’s book reminds us how the world we inhabit owes its existence to the Victorians. Through the artworks of the age Paxman paints a picture of Victorian labour, family, empire, politics, fantasy, and religious uncertainty in the face of scientific progress, advancing neatly from the crowded scenes of urban life depicted by Frith to the thronging canvases of fairy-folk by the probably paranoid schizophrenic Richard Dadd. Often slips, justifiably, into the earlier nineteenth century, for example, to mention Mrs Berkley’s ‘horse’, a popular sadomasochistic ‘flogging machine’ located in Soho.
October 9, 2024
I agree with other reviewers that the layout of this book is frustrating. He mentions pictures we don't see, and the pictures included are all lumped together in one place with no real order. Overall, it's not a bad history through paintings, with some interesting stories about the artists. What is distracting is the way Paxman sounds so pleased with himself, and I find some of his vocabulary incredibly smug and unnecessary. I'd most likely avoid him as an author, but I imagine the TV series is probably good.
Before this book was Wolf Hall, so anything was probably going to pale in comparison.
Before this book was Wolf Hall, so anything was probably going to pale in comparison.
September 4, 2020
Not a bad account of Victorian painting.
The social history is weaved through it well too.
The main drawback is what it doesn't say. It quite rightly credits Lord Shaftesbury and Peel with being key players in the initial factory acts. What it doesn't do is credit the others who were key players, such as Robert Owen, or that the early factory acts were pretty ineffectual.
They needed several iterations to work properly and those later ones are almost all enacted by the Liberals. This book gives the mistaken impression that the Tories improved working lives and did so alone.
The social history is weaved through it well too.
The main drawback is what it doesn't say. It quite rightly credits Lord Shaftesbury and Peel with being key players in the initial factory acts. What it doesn't do is credit the others who were key players, such as Robert Owen, or that the early factory acts were pretty ineffectual.
They needed several iterations to work properly and those later ones are almost all enacted by the Liberals. This book gives the mistaken impression that the Tories improved working lives and did so alone.
November 10, 2020
It can be easy to get into a mindset of thinking that the Victorian age was entirely taking place in black and white or sepia tones. This book attempts to provide an overview of the UK time period through like at the paintings that were produced at the time. The art chosen provides a sense of the changes that were taking place in the world and the growth of mass culture and how Britain was seeing it’s health. It’s good to remember that the world was in actually in colour back then, but this also provides a good starting point for a look at the time period in Britain
April 2, 2018
Love, love, loved this book. If you have interest in Victorian history and you appreciate art...this is the perfect book for you. JP adeptly shows how history and society shaped art, as well as, how art was used as a tool to shape public opinion and drive policy changes. It is fascinating material and of course it is delivered with Jp’s informative and sometimes witty journalistic style.
July 23, 2019
About the Victorians through the paintings of the age. Jeremy Paxman writes well and has a solid writing style so covers the subject with skill. A somewhat unusual approach (at least for me, so maybe I should read more art history) but it does what is says on the tin, and leaves you understanding just that little bit more than you did before you started.
May 22, 2022
The Victorians is a companion to both the Victorian painting hall of fame and their boisterous modes of life. Mere strokes of effort manifest the pathos of a people who was caught between pulverised piety and perceived paganism. On William Powell Frith’s canvas there were carnivals, John Martin’s upheavals. Incidentally, the art waned alongside the Empire on which the sun never sets, set.
September 24, 2018
Extremely interesting. I like the use of paintings but you may have to look some of them up as only a few reproduced in the book itself.
July 8, 2020
This beautiful book opens a window, through the underappreciated art of the period, on the fascinating world of Victorian England.
October 15, 2020
Art history. Companion to TV show. Victoria and Albert. Factory life. Ghostwritten?
November 27, 2023
Lack of images thoroughly weakened the book
April 6, 2016
‘The Victorians’ by Jeremy Paxman, a BBC journalist, is a historic account of art, primarily canvas paintings, that takes us though the social, economic and political tides of the Victorian era.
With Paxman’s journalistic background, the book is a great attempt at weaving a beautiful story around art and artistes as a means to reflect on the Victorian society in the period 1830 - 1900.
In an era when television and social media was unheard of, Art had an important role to play in capturing the mood and the tone of the times. As such, this book is an impressive chronicle of Industrial revolution, Social Class system, the evolution of women’s role in the Victorian Society, Britain as the mighty empire, War times, Imperialism and Influence on Britain of its varied colonies such as India and Africa.
Paxman talks about societal influence on paintings like the ‘Derby Day’; ‘Angel in the house’; ‘the railway station’ ; ‘work’ etc., with some incredible facts which otherwise aren’t very obvious to the viewer.
I was amazed to note the transition from portrait paintings to still photography and how people would use snakes and guns to hold the subject sit still for a clear photographic shot. A section of the book is dedicated to various wars fought by Britain including the Crimea War and the use of art in recording history. Similarly, the society’s outlook towards prostitution or fallen women and their plight, double standards towards and men and women, life in the workhouses (which apparently influenced Charles Dickens to write Oliver Twist), invention of the railways and its positive influences on social mobility, life in the factories, emerging cities and social classes as a result of the industrial revolution and a host of other elements of society at that time captured in oil paintings and frozen in time for posterity. It made me sit up and take notice of the art forms more curiously.
While it is a very interesting read, the paperback version does not do justice to the paintings and the minute details that Paxman has referred to. With so many facts packed into the pages, chances are that the interested reader would have to go back and forth between internet and this book to understand the references. It may also take you to a few art galleries to look at the paintings.
Overall an interesting take on some of the popular paintings of the bygone Victoria era. I sure look forward to visiting art galleries with an eye for greater detail now. I have rated it at 4 stars for the paperback version which fails to create the visual impact for the paintings, other than that I immensely enjoyed reading this book and may even read it a second time in the future.
With Paxman’s journalistic background, the book is a great attempt at weaving a beautiful story around art and artistes as a means to reflect on the Victorian society in the period 1830 - 1900.
In an era when television and social media was unheard of, Art had an important role to play in capturing the mood and the tone of the times. As such, this book is an impressive chronicle of Industrial revolution, Social Class system, the evolution of women’s role in the Victorian Society, Britain as the mighty empire, War times, Imperialism and Influence on Britain of its varied colonies such as India and Africa.
Paxman talks about societal influence on paintings like the ‘Derby Day’; ‘Angel in the house’; ‘the railway station’ ; ‘work’ etc., with some incredible facts which otherwise aren’t very obvious to the viewer.
I was amazed to note the transition from portrait paintings to still photography and how people would use snakes and guns to hold the subject sit still for a clear photographic shot. A section of the book is dedicated to various wars fought by Britain including the Crimea War and the use of art in recording history. Similarly, the society’s outlook towards prostitution or fallen women and their plight, double standards towards and men and women, life in the workhouses (which apparently influenced Charles Dickens to write Oliver Twist), invention of the railways and its positive influences on social mobility, life in the factories, emerging cities and social classes as a result of the industrial revolution and a host of other elements of society at that time captured in oil paintings and frozen in time for posterity. It made me sit up and take notice of the art forms more curiously.
While it is a very interesting read, the paperback version does not do justice to the paintings and the minute details that Paxman has referred to. With so many facts packed into the pages, chances are that the interested reader would have to go back and forth between internet and this book to understand the references. It may also take you to a few art galleries to look at the paintings.
Overall an interesting take on some of the popular paintings of the bygone Victoria era. I sure look forward to visiting art galleries with an eye for greater detail now. I have rated it at 4 stars for the paperback version which fails to create the visual impact for the paintings, other than that I immensely enjoyed reading this book and may even read it a second time in the future.
September 14, 2016
Interesting stuff! I don't think I will look at another piece of art from Victorian times again the same way...
November 8, 2012
"Victorians" by Jeremy Paxman is interesting look at certain era when paintings were reflecting & shaping public opinions. In the days before TV, paintings were re-printed and sold by thousands, some gaining such notoriety, fame and success that people lined in front of museums and galleries to see them. It is very interesting book, discussing how public taste slowly changed and whatever effect Charles Dickens had achieved with his books, some painters helped with their art, pointing at lesser fortunate members of society. Some of these paintings were perhaps milking too much of sentiment but there were quite a few that actually honestly reflected reality. Very interesting read.
February 24, 2015
An interesting look at Victorian history through the art of the day. Unfortunately not all the pictures mentioned are plates in the book. Of those that are; some are too small to see the details mentioned or spread over two pages with the central detail lost in the central fold.
Although split into sections it still felt a bit chaotic/disordered - I hadn't originally realised this was a TV series - I'm left wondering if there was a degree of repetition that worked in an ongoing series but is less effective in book format.
Although split into sections it still felt a bit chaotic/disordered - I hadn't originally realised this was a TV series - I'm left wondering if there was a degree of repetition that worked in an ongoing series but is less effective in book format.
September 11, 2010
This was quite fun to read. Looking at the social history of Victorian England as it is represented in paintings takes the generally manifest dryness out of reading history. I not only loved looking at the paintings and tried to see how a culture is presented, but also found it highly accessible as a piece of popular history. Mind you, this is probably not for either the expert historian or the expert art-historian. It's more for dilettantes like myself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews