Amy Von Lintel
“Art History as Visual Culture: The Illustrated Art History Survey in the Nineteenth Century”
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Abstract
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The field of art history has often been criticized for its exclusiveness and removal from a wider visual culture. While its roots are usually traced to German academic scholarship, my dissertation explores an alternative genealogy for art history in the nineteenth century based on a form of popular European visual culture: the illustrated art history survey. Between 1820 and 1900, dozens of introductory survey books provided historical narratives of world art that included printed illustrations of canonical art “monuments.” Many of these books were issued in multiple, affordable editions, and circulated widely in Europe. Through these surveys, art history reached audiences well beyond elite collectors and educated scholars. It became an accessible topic for European middle-class men, women, and children seeking basic knowledge about art and culture. However, these surveys have remained entirely below the radar in art history, creating a blind spot that is irresponsible to ignore. Because they have not yet been the subject of serious scholarship, it will be necessary to construct the history of these surveys in my preliminary research. CES Fellowship funding will allow me to complete this research in various libraries in France and Britain. During the two-month stay abroad, I will work in the archives of the Bibliothèque Nationale and the Institute Nationale d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), the V&A Museum National Art Library (London), the Reading University Library, and the National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh).
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