A University of Sussex DPhil thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details Focusing the Lens: The Role of Travel and Photography in the Personal and Working Lives of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant Claudia Louise Field A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DPhil in the Department of Art History University of Sussex September 2014 Volume 1 2 UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX CLAUDIA LOUISE FIELD: CANDIDATE FOR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (D PHIL) FOCUSING THE LENS: THE ROLE OF TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE PERSONAL AND WORKING LIVES OF VANESSA BELL AND DUNCAN GRANT SUMMARY This thesis addresses how the photographic image contributed to the formation of the public and private identities of the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. I propose that Bell and Grant primarily conceptualised photography as a medium of movement and it is this element that defines photographic images of them and their circle. Further, I suggest this definitive photographic element of their work situates them and the Bloomsbury Group in the development of English modernism in a new way. Chapter One explores the presence of movement in travel and tourism related photographic images from Bell and Grant’s own generation and previous generations in their families. It compares images of alpine adventures, colonial life and first journeys to Europe alongside sections of personal correspondence by both generations offering a ‘verbal sketch’ of the sights and sounds of the travel experience. Chapter Two considers how the photographic reproduction informs the development of public identity through an analysis of how Bell, Grant, Clive Bell and Julia Margaret Cameron used photographic images in the public arena and how contemporary media used photographs in assessments of their work. Chapter Three focuses on the nature of private physical and psychological photographic exchanges among both Julia Margaret Cameron’s circle and the Bloomsbury Group and looks at paintings by Bell and Grant that were inspired by personal and private photographs in their possession. Chapter Four examines how the visual expression of monumentality and movement in photographs taken by Bell, Grant and their predecessors demonstrates a clear interest in making connections with past artistic and photographic traditions. The culmination of this discussion identifies defining features of the Bloomsbury photograph as created by Vanessa Bell and shows how it incorporates movement as a primary element of her photographic aesthetic. 3 Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in part to this or any other University for the award of any other degree Claudia Louise Field 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Arts & Humanities Research Council for funding this Collaborative Doctoral project. I am grateful to my formal support networks at the University of Sussex and The Charleston Trust throughout my time researching and writing this thesis and during my time on maternity leave. At the University of Sussex my supervisors David Mellor and Meaghan Clarke provided expertise, enthusiasm and empathy. At The Charleston Trust all the staff and volunteers were welcoming and extremely helpful offering me information, cups of tea and even lifts in their cars! I would like to express my gratitude to Anne Olivier Bell whose donation of an extensive collection of photographs in 2006 and 2007 initiated this Collaborative Doctoral project. I felt ‘a part’ of Charleston while I was working there and am grateful for the volunteer opportunities it allowed, from working as a room steward to helping at the Charleston and Small Wonder festivals. Former Director Colin McKenzie was always full of energy and enthusiasm for my project. Former Curator Wendy Hitchmough acted as my institution-based supervisor and she gave me the benefit of her unparalleled knowledge of Charleston’s collection, pushed me to meet my capabilities and provided much appreciated personal and professional support. Darren Clarke, now Head of Curatorial Services at Charleston has been an invaluable colleague throughout my time there. I offer my thanks to authorities on Bloomsbury whom I have met through my connections with Charleston and with whom I discussed my research including Frances Spalding, Simon Watney and Marion Dell. I would like to express my gratitude to the staff at a number of institutions particularly the Tate Gallery Archives, the British Library, Special Collections at the University of Sussex and St. Peter’s House Library, University of Brighton. At all of these institutions I had assistance not only my research but also with gathering together and physically moving material. As someone with mobility difficulties this has been much appreciated. I offer my unending thanks to my parents Jackie and Graham and my sister Katherine who offered additional pairs of eyes to drafts and cheered me on. I am particularly grateful to my Dad for the hours he spent reviewing the text. Lastly this thesis is dedicated to my husband Jim for his patience, love and support in every way and to our daughter Josephine who was the other baby born during this time. 5 Table of Contents SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 2 DECLARATION .................................................................................................................... 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 4 A NOTE ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................ 7 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ..................................................................................................... 8 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 26 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER ONE: PUBLIC IMAGES - INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN THE TRAVEL, ART AND PHOTOGRAPHIC INDUSTRIES IN THE VICTORIAN PERIOD ................................................... 49 Victorian Photographic Studios ...............................................................................................51 Exchanges by the Families of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant with Aspects of the Art, Travel and Photographic Industries .....................................................................................................55 Photographic Words: The Verbal Sketch .................................................................................56 Capturing the Romance of the Alps: Leslie Stephen on Tourism and the Alpine Experience 63 Exoticism, Cultural Difference and Hierarchy in Victorian and Bloomsbury Photographs ....66 Bloomsbury’s Appropriation and Opposition to Conventions in Travel Writing and photography .............................................................................................................................72 Clive Bell: Art, Photography and Travel .................................................................................73 Vanessa Bell ‘s Verbal Sketches- Wielding the Pen like a Brush ...........................................75 Vanessa Bell’s Early Travel Photography (1896-1902) ..........................................................80 Photographic experiments ........................................................................................................83 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................85 CHAPTER TWO: IN THE PUBLIC EYE, AN EXAMINATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTIONS IN THE CHARLESTON COLLECTION AND CRITICAL RESPONSES TO BLOOMSBURY INCORPORATING PHOTOGRAPHY ............................................................... 87 Public Declarations of Artistic Alignment and Exchange in the Photography of Julia Margaret Cameron ...................................................................................................................................88 Photographic Reproductions in the Charleston Collection and Their Use by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant ...........................................................................................................................95 Commercially Produced Photographs from International Museums, Galleries Publishing Companies and Studios in the Charleston Collection ..........................................................96 Exchanging Images: Examining the Back of Reference Photographs to Identify How they were Used ...........................................................................................................................104 A Wider Circulation: The Public Role of Photographic Reproductions in Manuscript Preparations and Exhibition Organisation .............................................................................106