Every Woman Her Own Publisher:
Private Authorship in 19th Century England.
innovations in bookmaking, printmaking, and photography
Part 1: "The Extra-Illustrated Volume"
(from an essay completed December 8, 2020)
Abstract:
The invention and technical refinement of the etching intaglio-printing
process throughout the late 16th century facilitated a growing market and collector base for printmaking that extended through the 19th century.
The increasing durability of plates enabled printers to reproduce images in enormous edition runs without losing impression details.
At the same time, due to the increasing systemization of processes and innovations of techniques, printers became able to produce quality reproductive prints that became exceedingly popular as educational tools.
Print collecting was no longer reserved for private museums and wealthy collectors; affordable and quality prints could be found on the consumer market.
The public's heightened demand for original and reproductive prints, and the increasing accessibility of the print media, caused print publications to thrive.
Yet, although individual print illustrations were becoming more accessible in the 19th century, printed books were most usually limited to a single illustrated frontispiece. It was still prohibitively expensive publishers to include any significant quantity of illustrations within published text volumes.
In 1769, an exceptional individual named James Granger published a book that begged for illustrations, yet had none. Granger’s volume was actually published with the intention that owners would add illustrations, which is why the activity of extra-illustrating took his name. The situation effectively prompted a mass
movement of remedies that blossomed into extended opportunities for book owners’ self-expression, whereby unique editions by unbinding and altering commercially printed editions.
This section reviews the history of extra-illustrated (or "grangerized") books.
Part 2: "Anna Atkin's British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions:
A Victorian Woman's Innovation in Photography, Botanical Illustration, and Publishing
"
(from an essay completed April 29, 2010)
Abstract: Exceptions in gender expectations regarding photography, botanical illustration, and publishing propagated across the various fluxes in 19th century taxonomy. As 20th-21st century concentrations on women's histories have exposed, women frequently assisted their male family members' professional pursuits in photography and botany. Their endeavors in these fields were laregly considered a "hidden asset" to their family, with little to no recognition. In this concealed role, a woman could be introduced to an advanced education in practices outside of her traditional domestic feminine activities. Middle-class women were thus able to sidestep the impression that their self-directed pursuits worked against the propagation of Victorian society, that is, as long as their leisurely interests served as casual amusements or preparations for their future domestic roles. To their advantage, the patience and delicate handling required in 19th century photographic and botanical practices underscored Victorian notions of femininity.
As the advertisement for popular publication The Young Lady's Book of Botany (1840) proclaimed: "That the mental constitution of the fair sex is such as to render them peculiarly susceptible of whatever is delicate, lovely, and beautiful in nature and art cannot, we think, be controverted; we are not, therefore, surprised that Botany receives more of their attention and study than any other science." The preparations required for a woman to partake in photographic, botanical, and publishing pursuits were more than just a hobby, but they had not yet been culturally defined as a science. The blurring of these distinctions allowed for female activities that problematized conventional gender assumptions about Victorian womanhood.
In this section, I look at Anna Atkins's (1799-1871) pioneering role as a photographer, botanical illustrator, and publisher as expressed in her album British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions (1843-1853).
Part 3: "Charming Disruptions: Modernist Photocollages by 19th Century Victorian Ladies"
(from an essay completed December 2009)
Abstract: Victorian photocollages of the 19th century have frequently been omitted from major surveys of photography’s history. This error has promoted a widespread, inaccurate, attribution of photocollage concepts to early 20th century avant-garde artists.
Drawing from recent scholarship on Victorian Photocollage, as well as the 2009 exhibition “Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage” at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, this section examines how 19th century Victorian ladies created charming disruptions of traditionally accepted notions of space, time, reality, authorship, and the artists’ role in ways that prefigure the conceptual groundings of Modern Art.