ford madox brown - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

historiography in the nineteenth century. 38 This section has been inspired by
Rosemary Mitchell's Picturing the Past: English History in Text and Image 1830-
1870 which examines the rise and breadth of the picturesque mode of historiography
in relation to the increase in illustrated history books, historical novels and history
textbooks produced in Britain in the nineteenth century. Using drawings relating to
Brown's depiction of scenes from England's past as case studies this chapter extends
Mitchell's remit and examines the influence of the picturesque mode on fine art.
Using works on paper to look at his chosen subject matter and his portrayal of
historical figures, the section 'Construction: Interpretation' discusses Brown's
interpretation of scenes from English history.
'Construction: The Practicalities' is divided into two sections which provide the first
scholarly assessment of how Brown designed his paintings of English history. The
first half looks at the research he undertook when beginning a painting. Taking the
empirical approach used by Roy Strong in And when did you last see your Father?
this section uses drawings, tracings and notes made by Brown for Chaucer at the
Court of Edward III in combination with his diary to define the nature of his historical
research. 39 The second half pieces together his working process using the large
number of preparatory drawings in the collection and Brown's essay 'On the
Mechanism of a Historical Picture: part A. the Design,' written to advise young
painters on how to design a History painting. 40 This section looks closely at the
function of Brown's drawings in relation to his paintings. Using Brown as a case
38
This term is used extensively by Rosemary Mitchell but as she notes is not an invented description
but was current in the nineteenth century and 'therefore [reflects] contemporaries' own interpretations
of the historical changes of the period' (Picturing the Past: English History in Text and Image, 1830-
1870, Oxford, 2000, p. 14).
39
Roy Strong, And when did You last see your Father? London, 1978.
40
Ford Madox Brown, ‘On the Mechanism of a Historical Picture: part A. the Design,’ in The Germ,
no. 2, February 1850, pp. 70-73.
17