Richly detailed, authentic, and engrossing, this compendium draws upon Dover's archives to present a pictorial survey of the Victorian world. Sources include historical periodicals such as Harper's Weekly,The Illustrated London News, and Punch as well as printers' and trade catalogs, architectural graphics, and patterns for fabric and wall decoration by William Morris, Christopher Dresser, and other designers. Hundreds of color and black-and-white images offer glimpses of social history from the great book illustrators of the era as well as ordinary and extraordinary everyday objects, including displays of glassware, furniture, needlework, and stained glass windows from the famous Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851.
Detailed bibliographical information concerning every source ― including biographical details of each artist ― makes this collection a vital reference tool as well as a stunning compendium of Victorian graphic and pictorial art and illustration. Students of graphic art, typography, and illustration as well as graphic designers and advertising professionals will prize this remarkable resource.