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Arts & Communication Agnew family and 19 -century art market
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2. Cultural and artistic background of the laying the groundwork for later changes in the accessibility
Victorian era of the art market.

Throughout British history, the social structure has been 3. Astute market prognosticators
profoundly influenced by the concept of social class and In the early 19 -century, Manchester became one of the
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a longstanding hierarchy. Before the Victorian era, the centers of textile manufacturing, as most cotton spinning
upper class, comprising the royal family and nobility, activity during the Industrial Revolution took place in
consistently maintained an aloof status, a tradition that towns in northwest England. People from all over the
persisted into the first half of the 19 -century. With the country came to work in the city. Thomas Agnew, born
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advent of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, steam power in Liverpool in 1794, also moved to Manchester with his
and factory systems were driving industrialization in family. He was an apprentice to the Italian engraver and
Europe. By 1830s, the initial stage of industrialization had gilder Vittore Zanetti and later became his partner in an
finished, marked by significant capital accumulation and art store. Agnew made two developmental decisions
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economic development in Britain, which also facilitated while working there. The first decision was to change the
urbanization. New business ownership and employment company’s purchasing and sales direction toward primarily
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opportunities resulted from the growth of the middle class. acquiring goods, including many landscape and genre
After the initial development of certain northern industrial works paintings, from auctions. The second was to expand
cities, the number of middle-class individuals, including the business into the field of publishing and printing.
businessmen, industrialists, doctors, and art dealers, This business model is the precursor to the later Agnew’s
increased rapidly, and they accounted for approximately Gallery. Both Thomas and his eldest son William adeptly
15 – 20% of the population. The rise of the middle class captured the changing consumer tastes in the early- and
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altered the political composition of British society. The late-19 -century. In the early period, the firm acquired
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growth of economic power among the 19 -century middle many natural scenery and folk-art pieces, whereas, in the
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class, coupled with events such as the French Revolution, later period, it shifted toward selling works by renowned
spurred new demands. Following a series of protests, the masters, all of which yielded excellent sales results.
political standing of the middle class was elevated by the
parliamentary reforms of 1832. After the Industrial Revolution, Manchester “grew
larger, dirtier, and smellier,” causing the departure of
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The Victorian period also saw the development of public many aristocrats. Thus, middle-class merchants became
education. The upper middle class sent their children the city’s primary inhabitants. By the mid-18 century,
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to schools or hired tutors for homeschooling to teach Manchester’s merchants had amassed substantial wealth
classical arts and practical skills. Between 1850 and 1872, and begun to yearn for further social esteem and distinctive
a series of surveys were conducted in England and Wales identities. Simultaneously, they lacked an appreciation for
to comprehensively analyze the country’s educational masterpieces and predominantly held fervent patriotic
institutions, and they were used to promote educational sentiments. Agnew keenly acknowledged this aspect,
reform. The literacy rate of the lower classes increased, prompting a shift in his procurement strategies.
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and the wealthiest members of the middle class took
courses in art appreciation while learning practical skills. Due to the harsh living conditions in Manchester’s
Moreover, this period witnessed a significant expansion urban environment, a nostalgic sentiment for the natural
in art dissemination, with a proliferation of magazines beauty of the countryside was evoked among the middle
and newspapers, such as the Illustrated Times, the Musical class. Watercolor paintings depicting rural landscapes and
Monthly, and Stories Illustrated. By 1840s, the middle virtues gradually gained prominence in the market. Against
class had gained widespread access to abundant literary this backdrop, renowned works like John Constable’s
and artistic content. Some magazines hired specialized (1776 – 1837) “The Hay Wain” (Figure 1) emerged,
art critics to improve quality and outshine competitors. capturing the scenery before the onset of pollution in the
Concurrently, some upper-class groups invested in cities. Meanwhile, the robust national pride fostered by
libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions to developed nations led the merchants to deem everything
elevate the public’s cultural awareness and enhance their as the finest in Britain.
city’s cultural prestige. Compared to the 18 -century, the At the time, Agnew enacted two initiatives. First, he
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19 -century saw the cultural learning and art consumption rejected poor imitations of many masterpieces circulating
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activities of the lower middle class and even the working in Zanetti’s shop and redirected his procurement focus
class gradually flourish. The barriers in the art world faded, toward British countryside watercolor paintings. As
and artistic activities diversified across various strata, shown in Table 1, records indicate that he predominantly

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 3 doi: 10.36922/ac.2872