This collection transports you to Europe of 1600 to 1850. Many of the foundations of European culture were being laid: commerce, arts institutions, art displays, terraced houses … even tattooing. Things we now take for granted in the fabric of our lives. Yet here we glimpse them through the eyes of a society for whom they weren’t yet set in stone. The shape of the urban environment was being defined. Yet there was a burgeoning nostalgia for all things rural, and a hunger for the trappings of other cultures. The decisions of this era still have an impact on our culture today.

This material forms part of The Open University course A226 Exploring art and visual culture.