A Strange Business: Art, Culture, and Commerce in Nineteenth Century London

A vivid excursion into London's nineteenth century art world, evoking the famed personalities, social changes, and technological advances that sparked a revolution in art commerce. Britain in the nineteenth century saw a series of technological and social changes which continue to influence and direct us today. Its reactants were human genius, money and influence, its crucibles the streets and institutions, its catalyst time, its control the market. In this rich and fascinating book, James Hamilton investigates the vibrant exchange between culture and business in nineteenth-century Britain, which became a center for world commerce following the industrial revolution. He explores how art was made and paid for, the turns of fashion, and the new demands of a growing middle-class, prominent among whom were the artists themselves.