Art at Home (ES 4-vol. set)

‘In these decorative days the volumes bring calm counsel and kindly suggestions, with information for the ignorant and aid for the advancing, that ought to help many a feeble, if well-meaning pilgrim along the weary road, at the end whereof, far off, lies the House Beautiful …’—Examiner, 1876. Launched by a successful editor and publisher W. J. Loftie in 1876, Art at Home was a series of small guidebooks or manuals for women in the upper-middle class striving for a more aesthetic and cultured life. The series gained great popularity among housewives in Victorian England and its influence expanded to the east coast of America as well with the publication of the American editions which were used there as introductory guides to the life of high society in England. Subjects covered include interior design, furniture, fashion, art education, art collection, music, theatre, leisure, and all aspects of cultural life at home. Reproduced here are the all twelve titles with many illustrations, some reproduced in colour. Despite its importance, the original books are rare and hard to obtain and very few libraries in the world hold the complete series. This reprint is an indispensable source for all scholars in Victorian Studies and the History of Aesthetics.