The Colourful Victorians – Art, Design and Jewellery

Our image of the Victorian era is Queen Victoria in black. But the Victorians loved colour – electric purples, green and yellows. A 2024 exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford explored this theme.

This talk will include the brilliant colours in William Morris designs, exciting ceramics from William De Morgan and strong pigments in Pre-Raphaelite painting.

Victorian jewellery used many colourful gemstones and natural forms to emphasise vibrancy. Victorian era jewellery was intricate and stunning and reflected their obsession with colour.