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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
The art market during a period of class transition

in 19 -century England: A case study of the
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Agnew family

Yicong Li*

Department of Art Management, Institute of Arts Administration and Education, Central Academy of
Fine Arts, Beijing, China
(This article belongs to the following Special Issue: Re-globalization: Practices from the Art Market)

Abstract

The 19 -century is considered as a crucial epoch in British history, which witnessed
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profound social upheavals that spanned economic, political, and cultural domains.
This paper examines the 19 -century art market through the perspective of Agnew’s
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Gallery in Britain. The gallery demonstrated precise market forecasting abilities by
discerning the tastes of various social classes, reflected in its adept procurement,
sponsorship, and copyright acquisitions. Thomas Agnew focused on acquiring
watercolor landscapes of the English countryside, while William Agnew expanded the
gallery’s inventory by securing aristocratic collections. Furthermore, it highlighted
significant shifts in artwork themes and diversified profit strategies within the art
market, highlighting the gallery’s pivotal role in adapting to and shaping the evolving
landscape of artistic creation and commerce during this era. Simultaneously, William
*Corresponding author: Agnew, as both an art dealer and Member of Parliament, expanded the gallery’s
Yicong Li
(12211300011@cafa.edu.cn) clientele and encouraged middle-class art consumption. By combining cultural,
political, and economic influence, he positioned Agnew’s Gallery as a key player in
Citation: Li Y. The art market the 19 -century art market, mirroring the impact of Victorian social structures on
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during a period of class transition
in 19 -century England: A case art and collecting trends. The gallery’s auction and exhibition initiatives provided
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study of the Agnew family. Arts & convenience for the emerging middle class to establish collections and assisted
Communication. 2024;2(4):2872. numerous British Indigenous artists, even accommodating the artistic interests of
doi: 10.36922/ac.2872
the lower classes. Throughout the gallery’s developmental journey, the macro-level
Received: February 2, 2024 business strategies of the Agnew family unveiled the influence of Victorian societal
Accepted: June 3, 2024 structures and class dynamics on trends in artistic creation and collection within the
art market.
Published Online: September 27,
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Keywords: Middle class; Agnew’s Gallery; Exhibitions; Art market
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons
AttributionNoncommercial License,
permitting all non-commercial use, 1. Introduction
distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work During the Victorian era (1837 – 1901), which has long been regarded as a pivotal
is properly cited. period for British society, change in Britain’s traditional social and political hierarchies
Publisher’s Note: AccScience was primarily influenced by the Industrial Revolution and the ongoing instability of
Publishing remains neutral with the monarchy. The British society primarily exhibited a three-class model comprising
regard to jurisdictional claims in 1
published maps and institutional the working class, middle class, and upper class. The Industrial Revolution laid the
affiliations. foundation for the ascending middle class during the Victorian era. With the continued

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/ac.2872