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Sleep, Sickness, and Spirituality: Altered States and Victorian Visions of Femininity in British and American Art, 1850-1915

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Sleep, Sickness, and Spirituality: Altered States and Victorian Visions of Femininity in British and American Art, 1850-1915 Sleep, Sickness, and Spirituality: Altered States and Victorian Visions of Femininity in British and American Art, 1850-1915 Kimberly E. Hereford A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2015 Reading Committee: Susan Casteras, Chair Paul Berger Stuart Lingo Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Art History ©Copyright 2015 Kimberly E. Hereford ii University of Washington Abstract Sleep, Sickness, and Spirituality: Altered States and Victorian Visions of Femininity in British and American Art, 1850-1915 Kimberly E. Hereford Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Susan Casteras Art History This dissertation examines representations in art of the Victorian woman in “altered states.” Though characterized in Victorian art in a number of ways, women are most commonly stereotyped as physically listless and mentally vacuous. The images examined show the Victorian female in a languid and at times reclining or supine pose in these representations. In addition, her demeanor implies both emotional and physical depletion, and there is both a pronounced abandonment of the physical and a collapsing effect, as if all mental faculties are withdrawing inward. Each chapter is dedicated to examining one of these distinct but interrelated types of femininity that flourished throughout British and American art from c. 1850 to c. 1910. The chapters for this dissertation are organized sequentially to demonstrate a selected progression of various states of consciousness, from the most obvious (the sleeping woman) to iii the more nuanced (the female Aesthete and the female medium). In each chapter, there is the visual perception of the Victorian woman as having access to otherworldly conditions of one form or another. In this compelling strand of imagery, the Victorian woman is depicted in a variety of altered states of consciousness. For the first time, this pervasive representation of Victorian femininity is linked to the period’s medical and cultural discourse. New analysis reveals that these depictions were part of a much greater cultural and artistic fixation that emerged in several forms and originated, in many ways, from within the scientific and medical communities at large. Accordingly, focus is given to the complex interplay between medical “fact” and pictorial interpretation or outright fiction. In addition, a portion of this dissertation delves into the representation of the female Aesthete both in fine art and popular culture. The final chapter contextualizes the female medium within the Spiritualist movement. iv Acknowledgments Many individuals and institutions have offered generous assistance and contributions in the course of this project. I am pleased to have the opportunity to acknowledge them here. Above all, I am grateful to my advisor and mentor, Professor Susan Casteras, for her encouragement, depth of knowledge, and gentle nudging. I am especially appreciative to her for reviewing my drafts, listening to my concerns, and providing invaluable guidance and insight. Her dedication to her students and the field of art history is inspiring. I am very grateful to Professors Stuart Lingo, Paul Berger, and Jack Berryman for reading my manuscript and providing helpful comments. I extend a special thank you to the University of Washington, which provided support throughout my studies as a doctorial student. Funding through GOMAP’s Bank of American Fellowship provided essential financial support at a critical juncture of my studies. In addition, I am grateful for the support of the University of Washington Art History Department, which allowed me to undertake research in London, England, and elsewhere. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the Allan and Mary Kollar Endowed Fellowship, which provided additional support in my study of American art. I am thankful for their encouragement and their dedication to American art. I am also appreciative of the many individuals in Seattle who provided support and encouragement. There are many. I extend a special thank you to my editor, who has been with me throughout my graduate studies. On a personal note, my most profound appreciation goes to my parents for their unconditional love, endless encouragement, patience, and belief in me. Throughout the many arduous years of my education, they patiently listened as I sought to clarify and quantify my v research. They also provided invaluable insight. I am eternally thankful for my mother’s incredible capacity to love and her consistent reminder to “believe.” I am grateful for my father’s intellectual curiosity and calm, steady voice when I felt most overwhelmed. I am so proud to be your daughter. vi To my parents, who are always with me. My gratitude is boundless, my love eternal. vii Table of Contents Chapter Page INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 1. THE SLEEPING VICTORIAN WOMAN: LADY, LABORER, DREAMER AND FAIRY ................................................................................................................... 22 2. THE DEAD AND (NEARLY) DEAD VICTORIAN WOMAN .................................... 60 3. THE FEMALE CONSUMPTIVE ................................................................................... 89 4. THE CULT OF THE INVALID ...................................................................................... 119 5. THE NEURASTHENIC WOMAN ................................................................................. 150 6. THE FEMALE AESTHETE ........................................................................................... 190 7. SPIRITUALISM AND THE VICTORIAN FEMALE MEDIUM .................................. 230 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................... 285 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................ 293 viii List of Figures Please note that reproductions of the listed mages have not been included in the online version of this dissertation. Figure 1. William Shakespeare Burton, Sleep, 1866, oil on board, 8¾ x 7¼ inches, private collection. Available from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dLSVgS5AxBI/TAZ4HHNNxYI/AAAAAAAAs1k/NHlRzxe_aQg/s1 600/Sleep_Burton.jpg Figure 2. Edward E. Simmons, Mother and Child, 1886, illustrated in Marianna van Rensselaer, Book of American Figure Painters, n.p. Figure 3. Charles W. Cope, Home Dreams, 1869, oil on canvas, 25 x 30 inches, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven CT. Available from Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_West_Cope_-_Home_Dreams_- _Google_Art_Project.jpg Figure 4. William Powell Frith, The Sleeping Model, 1853, oil on canvas, 25 x 29 inches, Royal Academy of Arts, London. Available from Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Powell_Frith_-_The_Sleeping_Model.jpg Figure 5. William Powell Frith, Sleep, 1873, oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches. Available from http://prints.encore-editions.com/500/0/william-powell-frith-sleep-1873.jpg Figure 6. Frederick Daniel Hardy, After the Party, 1871, oil on canvas, 27¼ x 42 7/8 inches, private collection, Christie’s, The Forbe’s Collection of Victorian Pictures and Works of Art, New York, 11 October 1979. Available from https://d3l2rivt3pqnj2.cloudfront.net/i/prints/lg/2/1/215915.jpg Figure 7. Augustus Leopold Egg, The Travelling Companions, 1862, oil on canvas, 25 3/8 x 30 1/8 inches, Birmingham City Museums and Art Gallery, England. Available from Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Augustus_Leopold_Egg_- _The_Travelling_Companions_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Figure 8. Henry Nelson O’Neil, Pleasant Dreams, 1852, oil on canvas, 13 x 11 inches, private collection. Available from http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m96id2Pthi1rrnekqo1_1280.jpg Figure 9. William Peter Watson, Sleep Under a Patchwork Quilt, c. 1900s, oil on canvas, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK. Available from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/- QL2SapBRFjk/T5WsJGiUpSI/AAAAAAAACmo/MVDu8aOrCwg/s400/patchwork.jpg ix Figure 10. English School, Midsummer Day’s Dream, 1896, colour lithograph, Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France, Bridegman Images. Figure 11. John La Farge, Sleep or Sleeping Woman, 1868-1869 (destroyed), illustrated in Marianna van Rensselaer, Book of American Figure Painters, n.p. Figure 12. Frederic Leighton, Flaming June, c. 1895, oil on canvas, 47 3/8 x 47 3/8 inches, oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Available from Wikimedia Commons at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_June Figure 13. Edwin Blashfield, Sleep and Poetry, 1886, reproduced in Marianna van Rensselaer, Book of American Figure Painters, n.p. Figure 14. Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare, 1781, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 inches, Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan. Available from Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.jpg Figure 15. John Smetham, The Dream, 1856, oil on canvas, 14 x 17 inches, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, reproduced in Casteras, James Smetham, p. 94. Figure 16. Frontispiece, “Dreamer’s Wonderful Visions,” The Dreamer’s Sure Guide, or Interpretation of Dreams Faithfully Revealed, reproduced in Bown, The Victorian Supernatural, p. 157. Figure 17. John Anster Fitzgerald, The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, c. 1858, oil on canvas, 14 x 18
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