The Victorian age was marked by national self-confidence and stability, as Britain enjoyed peace at home and a rise in its industrial output, population, literacy, and general level of prosperity. These were conditions in which art prospered, and during the 60-year reign of Queen Victoria several generations of painters produced work of immense variety and beauty. This lovely book celebrates the artists and subjects of that period, drawing on paintings and sculpture from the permanent collection of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The book provides an engaging and accessible overview of the most important artists of the period. Eminent scholars offer insights into their artistic subjects, styles, and techniques, as well as into the role of the Royal Academy in the age of Queen Victoria. More than 70 works of art are catalogued in depth, including many that are reproduced here for the first time. The book also includes biographies of the artists feature, each illustrated with a contemporary photograph.

This book will be the catalogue for an exhibition that will be at the Denver Art Museum from 15 May to 15 August 1999, and then travel to the Frye Art Gallery in Seattle, Washington, the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach, Florida, the National Academy Museum in New York, and the Cincinnati Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio.

MaryAnne Stevens, education secretary and chief curator of the Royal Academy, is also the editor of Alfred Sisley. Julian Treuherz, director of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, is the author of the standard work Victorian Painting.