The Pre-Raphaelites and Science

At its founding in 1848, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, best known today for lush paintings of women, scenes from literature, and biblical stories, allied itself closely with science, and was committed to reforming British art by observing and rendering the natural world in detail. This academic exploration of this alliance discusses how it changed after the 1859 publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species sent Victorian science in a new direction, from its roots in natural theology to the scientific method. Holmes (Victorian literature and culture, Univ. of Birmingham) divides his examination into two sections. In the first, exploring the Pre-Raphaelites' "search after truth" from 1848 to 1860, as expressed in painting, poetry, sacred art, and architecture. The second section documents their work from 1860 on, when members pursued new aesthetic interests. The Brotherhood's contribution to architecture is spotlighted in the Oxford University Museum (built in 1855{amp}ndash;60) and London's Natural History Museum (1873{amp}ndash;81), in which the Pre-Raphaelites collaborated with leading scientists. With 150 color and black-and-white photos.