Fashionable Promenades: Kensington Gardens on a Band Day

Artist: Walter Crane (1845–1915)

Engraver: W. J. Linton

1862

Wood-engraving

7 ½ x 4 ½ inches

Illustration for London Society 2 (July–December 1862), facing p.172. This image is quite unlike Crane’s other work for children’s books and it is interesting, further, to consider how it fits with his political beliefs as a socialist. It is possible, perhaps, to detect an element of satirical overstatement in his showing of the ‘wealthy idle’. Nevertheless, the effect is celebratory rather than critical, and perfectly expresses the magazine’s emphasis on showy display.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

Scanned image and text by Simon Cooke

You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.