Conquering England : Ireland in Victorian London

by R. F. ; Fintan Cullen Foster

Under the Union between Britain and Ireland in 1801, the two countries were engaged in a relationship that was quarrelsome, contentious and in many ways interdependent. Yet it also provided a wider arena for certain ambitions in literature, politics and the arts. Irish talent was exported to London in the nineteenth century; by the turn of the twentieth it was being imported back to an Ireland undergoing political radicalisation and a cultural renaissance. This book, which accompanies a National Portrait Gallery exhibition, explores the Irish presence in London during the Victorian period, focusing on prominent individuals including the writers Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats and G.B. Shaw; theatrical impresarios such as Bram Stoker; history painters such as Daniel Maclise; charismatic politicians such as Charles Stewart Parnell and colourful journalists such as T.P. O'Connor. Through these influential individuals, the changing perspectives on Ireland that developed during the second half of the nineteenth century are revealed.

80 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Zan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read. Based on pictures and portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, this book examines prominent Irish people in England during the 19th C. It covers artists, writers, politicians, and even models of the period.

I was particularly interested to see if there were any "conquering Irish" specifically mentioned during the 1850s (not so much, though Allingham was peripherally attached to that decade). However, I particularly enjoyed the last essay that focused on Irish women models that are immortalized in many famous works like those of Whistler's.