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Arts & Communication Agnew family and 19 -century art market
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progress of industrialization, bankers, textile merchants, cultural activities. Bourdieu believes that capital can
and factory owners had already amassed significant be transformed; for instance, economic capital can be
wealth, placing them within the upper middle class based converted into cultural capital. Privileges are granted to
on their economic standing. According to David Ricardo some individuals based on their possession of cultural
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(1772 – 1823), an early 19 -century political economist, capital, which can be unequally distributed due to class
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the working class derived income from wages, the middle differences. Furthermore, Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857
class from both wages and profits, and the upper class – 1929) argues that with production advancing to a certain
from their property, rent, and interest, illustrating that level, conspicuously avoiding all practical occupations
due to technological development and changes in labor becomes a representative characteristic of the leisure class.
distribution after the Industrial Revolution, a clear class Elegant polite manners and conspicuous consumption
differentiation incorporating the industrial middle class norms explain the behavioral logic of art consumption by
emerged. The emerging middle class discussed in this some people belonging to the upper middle class. After
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article, which was rooted in this differentiation, mainly accumulating significant economic capital, the middle class
refers to the businessmen and capitalists who flourished strives to acquire additional cultural capital and enhance
after the Industrial Revolution through various emerging their social prestige, with the hope of further advancing
industries, such as factory-produced textiles, railway their personal social standing.
transportation, and expanded mining, as well as dedicated To date, research on British art consumption in the
staff in professions such as banking, trading, law, and 19 -century has mainly investigated two topics: the art
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medicine. market and art activities. In their studies on the art market,
During this period, a notable cohort of significant art scholars such as Thomas M. Bayer, John R. Page, and
dealers emerged in the United Kingdom. Their ascent Barbara Pezzini have noted its overall expansion, with
and shift in sales strategies were closely related to the markets for old masters and modern art experiencing
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arrival of new middle-class collectors. Agnew’s Gallery fluctuations. Studies on the Agnew family have primarily
was highly active and played an important role in the art taken a biographical approach, with scholars typically
market during the Victorian era. Its business sectors and focusing on its intermediary role and connections to the
trading methods influenced the British art market, which middle class. For instance, Donghao Chun’s “Art Dealing
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was affected by the class transformation. Hence, studying in 19 -Century England: The Case of Thomas Agnew” and
Agnew’s Gallery can shed light on new developments in Pezzini’s “The “Art” and the “Market” Elements of the Art
the 19 -century British art market. Market: John Linnell, William Agnew, and Artist-Dealer
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Relationships in 19 -Century Britain” explore the mature
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Although dealers were primarily driven by profit market relationship network of Agnew’s Gallery.
motives, their attendant behaviors shaped the preferences
of a burgeoning class, effectively extending the influence Therefore, this study aims to conduct a preliminary
of the middle class, including dealers themselves, into exploration of the development strategy of Agnew’s
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the public sphere. This was the case with Agnew’s Gallery Gallery in the 19 -century. Regarding inventory, Thomas
as their adopted business strategies included aligning Agnew (1794 – 1871) redirected his acquisition efforts
artwork acquisitions with the psychology of the new class, toward watercolor paintings depicting the English
supporting domestic artists, acting as agents for auctions, countryside, concurrently adopting the role of a patron.
investing in the development of print businesses, and Following this, William Agnew (1825 – 1910) procured
facilitating the organization of public art exhibitions, aristocratic collections, maintaining a steady inventory
among others. Against this backdrop, this study employs to accommodate the dynamic market demands and
a literature review and case analysis. By examining demonstrating changes in artistic preferences. Despite
biographies authored by descendants of the Agnew family, class and traditional constraints, Agnew’s Gallery adeptly
functioned as an intermediary within auction houses,
extant data from the 19 -century art trading market, and securing copyrights at premium prices to produce printed
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relevant exhibition materials, it aims to investigate the materials, thereby reducing barriers to enter the art market.
role played by Agnew’s Gallery in the art market during This article also highlights the initiatives undertaken by the
the Victorian-era class transition and highlights the Agnew family in the fields of politics, art, and culture. They
characteristics of the period’s art market.
adeptly transformed and integrated cultural, political,
Simultaneously, the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and economic capital, thereby reflecting the impact of
(1930 – 2002) proposed the concept of “cultural capital,” the middle class on artistic activities through alternative
which provided a theoretical framework for the middle avenues in the new era, which is also a hallmark of this
class to enter the art market and engage in related period.

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