Food for Thought

Tuesday, December 9

William Bell Scott, "Iron and Coal" (1855-1861): The full title of this work is "In the nineteenth century the Northumbrians show the world what can be done with iron and coal. " This piece formed part of a collection of eight paintings depicting various events in the history of Northumberland. All appear in the entrance hall at Wallington, a country estate once owned by the Trevelyan family not far from Morpeth. This painting crammed the docks, the steel mills, and shipbuilding industries of the Tyneside all in one canvas.

Ford Madox Brown (1821-1893) as depicted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (notice the initials in the lower right-hand corner).
We have spent all semester long reading social criticism from a variety of sources. Why not look at the visual arts for social criticism? Today we will look at several of the most famous paintings from the mid-Victorian period to see how different painters observed the transformations that we have discussed.

All of the paintings listed below are available on Blackboard where you can see them in great detail. The copy of "Derby Day" is really incredible. We got a large, high- quality, digital reproduction after begging the Tate Museum in London for a copy. These paintings are chock-full of detail. They tell many stories simultaneously. They were meant to be looked at for a spell. So spend some time surveying them.

William Bell Scott, "Iron and Coal" (1855-1861)

1) Look at the objects strewn about in the foreground and all the activity in the background. What is Scott trying to tell us about iron and coal?

2) What clues does Scott drop throughout the painting to let us know that iron and coal are responsible for moral progress?

Ford Madox Brown, "Work" (1852-1863)

As you answer these questions, refer to both the painting and Brown's explanation of it.

3) With which of the characters in his painting does Brown appear to sympathize? With whom does he not sympathize? Why?

4) Why did Brown entitle this piece "Work"?

William Powell Frith, "Derby Day" (1856-1858)

As you answer these questions, refer to both the painting and Frith's Autobiography.

5) Why did Frith paint "Derby Day"? What did he hope to capture? How did he go about preparing to paint this piece, and what does his manner of proceeding tell us about his intentions?

William Powell Frith (1819-1909)

William Powell Frith, "The Railway Station" (1861-1862)

Again, refer to the painting and Frith's Autobiography.

6) Why did Frith initially think that work on this subject would prove unrewarding?

7) Now, we think of this painting as "old," but at the time, Frith was portraying a new mode of travel (railroads) in an architecturally cutting-edge structure (Paddington Station, which served as his model here, had been completed in 1852). What kind of comment is Frith making about human behavior in a self-consciously "modern age"?

Other Questions to Ponder

1) What characteristics does "Iron and Coal" share with the work of the early Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood?

7) "Derby Day" has many stories going on at once. Be able to list at least three. Explain what is going on in each one. I'll make it easy and explain one of them. Look left. A young man with a shocked look and both hands in his pockets faces the viewer. He has lost his money in a "thimble-rigging" game (the equivalent of today's "shell game" where you have to guess under which of three shells a pea is concealed).

William Powell Frith, "The Railway Station" (1861-1862): Frith used Paddington Station in London as his backdrop.

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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle and Meg Cronin, 2006.