Natasha Moore – författare

Faced with the chaos and banality of modern, everyday life, a number of Victorian poets sought innovative ways of writing about the unpoetic present in their verse. Their varied efforts are recognisably akin, not least in their development of mixed verse-forms that fused novel and epic to create something equal to the miscellaneousness of the age.

Faced with the chaos and banality of modern, everyday life, a number of Victorian poets sought innovative ways of writing about the unpoetic present in their verse. Their varied efforts are recognisably akin, not least in their development of mixed verse-forms that fused novel and epic to create something equal to the miscellaneousness of the age.

Drawn entirely from the collections of Grolier Club members, this catalogue is devoted to the husband and wife duo William (1824–1889) and Helen Allingham (1848–1926), the former a poet, diarist, and editor and the latter one of the most successful artists of her time. It features the Allinghams’ own work (some of it collaborative) and extends to represent, through association copies, manuscripts, and portraits, the Allinghams' circle of friends and associates. Photographs of the portraits, book covers, text pages, and artwork on display at the Grolier Club exhibition are accompanied by detailed descriptions that contextualize the Allinghams’ early associations, links with the Pre-Raphaelites, Irish and American connections, relations with other artists and writers, and family bonds.