As the British Empire reached its peak in the 19th century, artists and designers were increasingly influenced by eastern cultures such as India, China, Japan and the Islamic world. The century also saw a revival in Classical and Renaissance motifs.
Style Guide: Regency Classicism
Classicism was the most fashionable style in Britain during the Regency period. Forms and motifs from ancient Greece and Rome were the basis of the style.
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Style Guide: Chinese and Indian Style
Designs influenced by Chinese and Indian art and architecture were extremely popular in the early 19th century. The renewed interest in the East was stimulated by objects i…
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Style Guide: Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival was one of the most influential design styles of the 19th century. Designs were based on forms and patterns used in the Middle Ages. Serious study was combin…
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Style Guide: French Style
French Style was a revival of styles that had been fashionable in France between 1660 and 1790. It represented luxury and glamour and was the most popular commercial style …
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Style Guide: Influence of Islam
The arts of the Islamic world became increasingly influential from the 1840s. The complex religious and historical factors influencing the appearance of objects from Iran, …
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Style Guide: Influence of China
The expansion of British diplomatic, trade and religious activity in China in the 1850s and 1860s brought previously unknown examples of Chinese art and design to the atten…
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Style Guide: Influence of Japan
The arts of Japan had a profound influence on British culture in the second half of the 19th century. Japanese art was very different from anything being produced in Britai…
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Style Guide: Influence of India
India had special significance in 19th-century Britain. It was the key possession of the British Empire and many goods were made there for the British market.
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Style Guide: Classical and Renaissance Revival
There was an enormous revival of interest in Classical and Renaissance art from about 1850. Archaeological discoveries in Greece, Italy and Egypt fuelled the imagination of…
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Style Guide: Scottish School
The Scottish School was a group of artists and designers who established a new and strikingly modern style in the 1880s. They worked in Glasgow and Edinburgh creating decor…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Horrockses Fashions: Off-the-Peg Style in the ''40s and ''50s
Horrockses Fashions was one of most respected ready-to-wear labels of the late 40s and 50s. Founded in 1946 the company concentrated on the production…
Buy nowEvent - Closer Look Architecture talk: John Buonarotti Papworth: "any job, any style, any client"
Tue 23 July 2013 13:00
FREE TALK: Hailed as a second Michelangelo by his friends, J.B. Papworth was an architect of incredible versatility.
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