Victorian Cottages (Country Series)

by Andrew Clayton - Payne (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  1997

  $3.27

  Country life was idealised by the Victorians into an exquiste rural idyll far away from the smoke and grime of the growing cities. Artists of the late nineteenth century sought to perpetuate this nostalgic vision, and their work found its greatest expression in the images of cottages and cottage life. Drawing on the watercolours of Helen Allingham, Myles Birket Foster and Charles Wilson and the writings of Flora Thompson and Thomas Hardy, Andrew Clayton-Payne describes the cottages themselves, how they were built and domestic traditions that determined the cottagers' lives.

• Used

  Paperback
  1996

  $3.27

  Country life was idealized by the Victorians into a rural idyll. 19th-century artists sought to perpetuate this image and their work found its greatest expression in images of cottages and cottage life. Drawing on the watercolours of Helen Allingham, Myles Birket Foster and Charles Wilson, and the writings of Flora Thompson and Thomas Hardy, this book describes the cottages themselves, how they were built and organized internally, and the farming and domestic traditions that determined the cottagers' lives. Harvesting, cider-making and wash day are a few of the activities described, as well as some of the more unusual customs. By contrasting the reality with the art, the book finds that these paintings convey more truth than one might expect at first glance.