Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1870-1914

Animal rights activists have used visual imagery to shape public understanding of animal cruelty. Art for Animals explores the early history of this advocacy, highlighting the use of vivid, pointed, and graphic depictions of human-animal interactions by organizations like the Victoria Street Society for the Protection of Animals from Vivisection. These images were critical components of animal advocacy, educating the public and creating a sense of shared identity among reformers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2019
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Animal rights activists have increasingly employed visual imagery in their endeavors to shape public perceptions of what constitutes "kindness," "cruelty," and "inhumanity" towards animals. Art for Animals delves into the early origins of this advocacy form by examining the images and individuals who have harnessed their power. These organizations, like the RSPCA and ASPCA, have long utilized visual art in literature and campaign materials. However, with the advent of new and advanced technologies and techniques, animal advocacy groups have taken their visual representations to unprecedented levels, employing vivid, pointed, and sometimes graphic depictions of human-animal interactions.

Keri Cronin explores the reasons behind the activist community's embrace of this approach, highlights the critical role that such tools played in educational and reform movements in the United States, Canada, and England, and traces their impact in both public and private spaces. These photographs, prints, paintings, exhibitions, "magic lantern" slides, and films, far from being mere peripheral illustrations of points articulated in written texts or argued in impassioned speeches, were central components of animal advocacy during that time. They served the dual purpose of educating the general public and fostering a sense of shared identity among the reformers.

Art for Animals, with its exclusive focus on imagery from the early days of the animal rights movement, presents striking visuals that shed new light on the history and development of modern animal advocacy. This captivating book provides a unique perspective on the field, offering a deeper understanding of the powerful tools that have been instrumental in shaping public attitudes and driving positive change for animals.

Weight: 434g
Dimension: 156 x 232 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271080109