COLOUR REVOLUTION: VICTORIAN ART, FASHION & DESIGN EXHIBITION

COLOUR REVOLUTION

VICTORIAN ART, FASHION & DESIGN

A major exhibition
21 Sep 2023 – 18 Feb 2024

Step into a revolution of colour and dispel our monochrome idea of Victorian Britain

Rediscover Victorian society as a vibrant colour-filled era – from dazzling dyes used in chic corsets, bold experiments by avant-garde painters, and the flamboyant use of nature's beauty in jewellery.

As Britain’s industrial revolution gained pace, new scientific breakthroughs allowed the Victorians to become increasingly revolutionary in their use of colour, with new hues greeted with both excitement and suspicion. This explosion of colour was embraced by artists, designers and many others in all walks of 19th-century life.

The exhibition includes fashion pieces – from Queen Victoria’s monotone mourning dress to the most daringly vivid clothing and accessories – and works by artists including Millais, Ruskin, Rossetti, Turner and Whistler, as well as objects from around the world and some of the earliest colour 'photograms'. It reveals the vital role that colour has played in shaping our art and culture and offers a rare opportunity to see some of these objects on public display.

Please note, the second room of the exhibition includes one object which discusses transatlantic slavery, which some visitors may find upsetting.

READ

EAST MEETS WEST IN THE VICTORIAN COLOUR REVOLUTION

Discover how colour forged connections and inspired art across the globe in the Victorian era.

READ

THE VICTORIANS AT CHRISTMAS

Join the Victorians at Christmas and explore their festive traditions and artworks in our collection.

READ

VICTORIAN WOMEN PIONEERS IN COLOUR TECHNOLOGIES

Meet three Victorian pioneers, Anna Atkins, Sarah Acland and Loïe Fuller, who led cutting-edge photographic and light projection techniques.

READ

THE REVOLUTION IN VICTORIAN FASHION

From a lump of coal to the colours of the rainbow... discover how and why Victorian fashion exploded into colour.

Lead Support generously provided by
Mr Barrie and Mrs Deedee Wigmore

With additional support from:
The Huo Family Foundation
Kathryn Uhde
The Patrons of the Ashmolean Museum
Albert Dawson Educational Trust
The Henry Moore Foundation
Dr Lee MacCormick Edwards Charitable Foundation
The Anson Charitable Trust

This exhibition has been made possible as a result of the British Government Indemnity Scheme. The Ashmolean Museum would like to thank HM Government for providing indemnity and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England for arranging the indemnity.

Thank you to:
The Sumitomo Foundation for the support of conservation of the fabric pattern book.
To all our lenders, who are supporting our exhibition with objects.

The research presented in this exhibition was undertaken for the Chromotope project (Sorbonne Université) in partnership with the University of Oxford and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris. The project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

More about the Chromotope research project