Scented Visions: Smell in Art, 1850-1914

In the late 19th century, the fear of miasma, sanitation reform, and the rise of artificial perfumery influenced cultural discourse about smell. This book explores the significant role of the olfactory in Pre-Raphaelite art and Aestheticism, examining the iconography and symbolism of scent in the work of artists such as John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Simeon Solomon, George Frederic Watts, Edward Burne-Jones, and others. It demonstrates how artworks reflected the "period nose" and intersected with various debates of the day, including evolution, civilization, race, urban morality, mental health, faith, and the "woman question."

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 11 July 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

In the late 19th century, the sense of smell played a significant role in cultural discourse, influenced by various factors such as the fear of miasma, the drive for sanitation reform, and the rise of artificial perfumery. While the science of olfaction remained largely mysterious, it sparked an urge to "see smell" and inspired some artists to depict scent in their works to better understand and control it. This book aims to reclaim the substantive role of the olfactory in Pre-Raphaelite art and Aestheticism.

Christina Bradstreet delves into the iconography and symbolism of scent in 19th-century art and visual culture. Through her comprehensive analysis of paintings, perfume posters, and other visual artifacts, Bradstreet demonstrates how artworks mirrored the "period nose" and intersected with the most pressing debates of the time, including evolution, civilization, race, urban morality, mental health, faith, and the "woman question."

Beautifully illustrated and rooted in current practices in sensory history, Scented Visions offers fresh readings of major works of art while providing a deeper understanding of the cultural history of 19th-century scent. By exploring the intricate relationship between smell and art, this book sheds light on the ways in which scent shaped artistic expression, cultural perceptions, and societal norms of the time.

Weight: 816g
Dimension: 254 x 178 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271092522