ford madox brown - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

study this chapter also throws light on the ways in which nineteenth century artists
constructed English history for their viewers and how artists were active agents in the
rise of historical consciousness.
The significant number of items in the collection related to Brown's work as an
illustrator made it ripe for research. 41 Despite such rich holdings, in comparison to
his work as a painter, this area of his career has been neglected by previous scholars
whose work has focused on Brown. Chapter three examines in depth the illustrations
Brown made for publication. Progressing chronologically, it explores his changing
attitude towards illustration as a medium and argues that these works had increasing
importance for his artistic career. Through close visual analysis of the style of his
illustrations it examines the different artistic influences acting on Brown at various
stages of his career. By comparing Brown's designs to those of his contemporaries it
explores the relationship between text and image in his work. Using his diary and
letters from numerous collections, it also provides insights into relations between
publishers and artists in the nineteenth century. Work by Paul Goldman and Simon
Cooke has established the importance of the Pre-Raphaelite artists in raising the status
of illustration. 42 Looking specifically at Brown, this thesis argues that he contributed
to this movement through his belief in illustration as fine art.
This thesis is part of a wider scholarly re-evaluation of Ford Madox Brown which has
resulted in the recognition of his accomplishments as a forward-looking and
41 The word 'illustration' has been used in two ways in this thesis. In relation to chapter one and the
early drawings by Brown in the collection it is taken to mean a scene from literature. In relation to
chapter three and the wood engravings in the collection it refers strictly to works made for the purpose
of being printed-whether by etching, lithography, wood-engraving, steel engraving or photo-engraving.
42 Paul Goldman, Victorian Illustrated Books 1850-1870: The Heyday of Wood-engraving, London,
1994 and Simon Cooke, 'The Dalziels' Bible Gallery,' The Private Library, 5 th series, vol. 10, no. 2,
Summer 2007, pp. 59-85.
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