Harrison Moore, A and Gooday, G (2016) True Ornament? The Art and Industry of Electric Lighting in the Home, 1889-1902. In: Wade, R, Williams, G and Nichols, K, (eds.) Art versus Industry? New Perspectives on Visual and Industrial Cultures in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Manchester University Press , Manchester , pp. 158-178. ISBN 978-0-7190-9646-4
Abstract
At the turn of the twentieth century the arrival of domestic electric lighting posed major new challenges: safety, economy, reliability and aesthetics. For many householders, as much as for those working in the decorative arts, the last of these was a major concern. As demonstrated by two of William Morris’s key disciples, Philip Webb and W. A. S. Benson, this would be accomplished by looking back to the medieval ‘golden age’ of metal craft, when crafts were as valued as ‘art’, and concurrently promoting a skilled craft-based approach to engage with the fresh possibilities of electric lighting. Their anxiety that the ancient metal crafts should be reunited with this newest of technologies illustrates the significance of the aesthetics of electric lighting in exploring the relationship between art and industry.
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Item Type: | Book Section |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, Manchester University Press. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Art versus Industry? New Perspectives on Visual and Industrial Cultures in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Electric Lighting; Philip Webb; W.A.S. Benson |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > Fine Art, History of Art & Cultural Studies (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Arts & Humanities Research Council AHRC AH/M009157/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Oct 2016 13:10 |
Last Modified: | 03 Aug 2017 21:52 |
Published Version: | http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Manchester University Press |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:95199 |