The House Beautiful: Oscar Wilde and the Aesthetic Interior

by Charlotte Gere, Lesley Hoskins

Published in the centenary year of Oscar Wilde's death, The House Beautiful celebrates Wilde's association with the Aesthetic Movement, which flourished in Britain and America in the late nineteenth century and which Wilde came to personify.Illustrated with a selection of evocative images, some of which are published here for the first time, the book offers a comprehensive account of the aesthetic interior across a wide spectrum of late Victorian society. Charlotte Gere examines the origins and development of the Aesthetic Movement and its influence on the decorative arts, tracing the people with whom Wilde associated, the artists, architects and designers he admired, and the houses and interiors he was influenced by.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2000

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a good book, although I do get tired of every book on Aestheticism focusing on its critics instead of its members.

[False · Rating 4 out of 5]

My last book of the year. Published in the year of Oscar Wilde's 100th year, it was a fascinating look at the aesthetics of the artistic world of his time. Wallpapers, furnishings, flowers...I enjoyed it.