Burlington Arcade 1887

Editor: This etching, "Burlington Arcade," by Joseph Pennell, created in 1887, gives such an interesting snapshot of Victorian London. It feels both detailed and dreamlike at the same time. What do you see in this piece, considering its historical moment? Curator: Well, the arcade itself is fascinating; these semi-public commercial spaces were quite new, and deeply connected with burgeoning capitalism. But who gets to participate in this commerce? Pennell shows the architecture clearly, the clean lines, the aspirations to classical form; but the people milling about... who are they, and who *aren't* they? Editor: So, the subjects represented, their social standing? I suppose there is an element of class in what he is showing. The architecture looks imposing, yet the people seem to belong. Curator: Exactly. Note how Pennell renders the figures. They're stylish, but their faces are indistinct. The artist shows these blurred faces occupying the Arcade at a time when consumerism offered possibilities, or sometimes merely illusions, of upward mobility, of becoming "somebody" simply by buying the right thing. In what way does art celebrate these new consumer spaces and the people they exclude? Editor: That's such an insightful reading, I was caught up in the atmospheric qualities and overlooked the socio-economic subtext that permeates the print. Curator: These commercial spaces offered a theater in which gender and class could be both performed and reinforced. Pennell shows us both the allure and the potential alienation of this new social landscape. It captures a nuanced, even ambivalent, moment in history. Editor: I’ll definitely think of that duality when I see this print now. Thank you! Curator: A closer look invites further questions, doesn't it? It seems to be saying a lot about social classes in a time of huge changes.