Cover of a bound volume of The Art Journal from 1858 |
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| Categories | Victorian art |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hodgson & Graves; Samuel Carter Hall; George Virtue |
| First issue | 15 February 1839 |
| Final issue | 1912 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
The Art Journal, published in London, was the most important Victorian magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title the Art Union Monthly Journal, the first issue of 750 copies appearing 15 February 1839.
Hodgson & Graves hired Samuel Carter Hall as editor, assisted by James Dafforne. Hall soon became principal proprietor, but, unable to turn a profit on his own, the London publisher George Virtue purchased into Hall's Art Union Monthly Journal in 1848, retaining Hall as editor. Virtue renamed the periodical The Art Journal in 1849.[1]
In 1851, Hall's engravings, 150 pictures from the private collection of the Queen and Prince Albert, were featured in The Art Journal as the "Great Exhibition of 1851". Though this feature was popular, the publication remained unprofitable, forcing Hall to sell off his share of the journal to Virtue, while staying on as editor. In 1852, the journal finally turned a profit.[1][2]
As editor, Hall exposed the profits that custom-houses were earning by importing old masters, and showed how paintings are manufactured in England. Simultaneously, The Art Journal became notable for its honest portrayal of fine arts, but its opposition to fake and mis-attributed Old Masters, such as a Raphael or a Titian, affected the market in such works adversely.
The early issues of the magazine strongly supported the artists of The Clique and after 1850 it became associated with opposition to the emerging Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), which Hall considered to be a reactionary movement. Its articles attacked the PRB and its supporter John Ruskin. The most notable essayists included: R. N. Wornum, Thomas Wright, F. W. Fairholt, Edward Lewes Cutts, and Llewellynn Jewitt.[2][3]
After Hall's retirement in 1880, the journal changed its position, faced with strong competition from the Magazine of Art and the changing public taste influenced by Impressionism. However, it was unable to retain its position and ceased publication in 1912.
The publication has been referred to, at various times, as London Art Journal and Art-journal.