Tennyson Transformed: Alfred Lord Tennyson and Visual Culture

Tennyson Transformed explores how the life and work of the great Victorian Poet Laureate was interpreted by artists, illustrators, photographers and other creative practitioners. This book evaluates several strands of Tennyson's influence on Victorian visual culture, and sheds new light on this crucial aspect of his influence. Including discussion of well-known paintings such as J.W. Waterhouse's Lady of Shalott and other Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces, the book looks beyond the obvious to uncover the breadth of media used to express Tennysonian themes. Book illustration, photography, engraving and sculpture are examined alongside previously unpublished archival material, such as the proof woodcuts for the famous 'Moxon Tennyson' of 1857. Including essays by leading specialists in the field and followed by a catalogue of seminal objects and images, Tennyson Transformed is essential reading for both the specialist and the enthusiast. Literary scholars and art historians will find fascinating new connections between the art and literature of the nineteenth century.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Acknowledgements; Preface, Christopher Ricks; Introduction: Tennyson and Victorian culture, Jim Cheshire; 'Always another poem': Victorian illustrations of Tennyson, Julia Thomas; 'More fair than words can say': Tennyson and Julia Margaret Cameron, Colin Ford; Tennyson and the artists, Leonee Ormond; Alfred: Informal portraits of a poet, Ben Stoker; Greatness confirmed: The sculpted portraits of Tennyson, John Lord; Catalogue, Grace Timmins, Ben Stoker, Andrea Martin, Jim Cheshire; Bibliography; Photographic credits; Index.

About the Author :
Dr Jim Cheshire is Senior Lecturer in the History of Art and Design at the University of Lincoln and author of Stained Glass and the Victorian Gothic Revival, 2004. Colin Ford CBE, now a freelance writer, curator and lecturer was founding Director of the National Media Museum and Director of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. Dr John Lord is a freelance writer, lecturer and sculptor and was formerly editor of the Journal of the Church Monuments Society. Professor Leonee Ormond is Professor Emerita of King's College London and specialises in 19th-century literature and the fine arts. She is author of Alfred Tennyson: A Literary Life. Ben Stoker is a research assistant at the Tennyson Research Centre and part of the curatorial team working on Tennyson Transformed (The Collection, Lincoln). Dr Julia Thomas is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Cardiff University and specialises in Victorian visual culture and illustration studies.

Review :
'This book will be of interest and use to literary scholars and art historians, and may serve others, as it did me, as a spur to read some Tennyson again - an act that he surely would have given his unconditional approval.' Donald Lee, Art Newspaper '... sumptuously produced'. Lincolnshire History & Archaeology