Scottish Art in the Industrial Age, 1800-1914

This four-volume collection of primary sources examines art in Scotland during the nineteenth century. During the nineteenth century, Scotland developed as a powerful industrial nation, eventually leading the world in areas such as textiles, shipbuilding and iron and steel production. As a result, a new generation of businessmen began to take an interest in buying art, as a symbol of their new-found wealth and status. The same period saw the establishment of art institutes and artists’ societies in major centres such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, providing artists not only with opportunities to exhibit their work, but also to see the work of European artists. This period saw the transformation of Scottish art from a period when visual culture was dominated by a retrogressive, romanticised image of the nation, to the modern era, when Scotland’s artists travelled abroad and embraced the latest avant-garde ideas, eventually enjoying an international reputation. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, this collection will be of great interest to students of Art History and Scottish History.