The Victorian Age in England saw an increased demand for print and pictures to accompany a growing literacy and increase of book publication.  The current exhibition in Special Collections and Archives highlights our growing collection of Victorian materials here at DePaul.

Victorian publishing merged the work of authors with artists in countless ways.  Authors like Charles Dickens used illustrations to define the plot and characters of their novels.  The artists for those novels depicted scenes in vivid detail to call the reader’s attention to minute aspects of the story.  But books dealing with all subjects were also illustrated, both through woodcuts and engravings. Those illustrations enhanced the understanding of the reading public about the expanding role of science, technology, and sociological study that blossomed during Victorian England.  

From amateur artist-scientists illustrating the worlds seen through a microscope, to travelers depicting the world they saw, illustrations provided a visual means to understand and amplify the text. The world was captured for readers who would never dissect a caterpillar or travel to India.  Illustrations also provided a way for the publishing industry to market and sell their books to new audiences, such as those riding another major invention of Victorian times, the railroad.  The illustrations communicated information about new inventions such as the velocipede, a Victorian version of today’s bicycle.

Illustrations in serious literature diminished by the end of the 19th Century, but  found new life in children’s books, magazines, and cheap popular fiction; eventually making their way into the 20th century as comic books, graphic novels, and fine press illustrated editions.

Department of Special Collections and Archives, 314 Richardson Library, Open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.  http://library.depaul.edu/Collections/SpecialCollectionArchives.aspx