Welcome to “The Art of Fiction” project
Here, discover how the creativity of late Victorian Britain has inspired investigation into the connections between women’s writing and the decorative arts in the second half of the nineteenth century. Learn more about our project, which considers how judgements of literary, aesthetic, and professional value affect women’s creative identities, and in doing so, investigates forms of artistic production that were neglected or considered inferior because associated with the feminine, the popular, and the everyday.
The Busy Bee
The Busy Bee was a handmade “little magazine” created between 1877 and 1886. It is largely composed of handwritten articles, including poetry, prose, fiction, and non-fiction, though it also includes illustrations, magazine cuttings, and photographs. The Busy Bee has been digitised and made openly accessible for the first time.
The Patchwork Object Project
Between December 2023 and September 2024, we invited contributions to a collaboratively made work of art that explored stories about women’s creative identities. Participants from around the world sent us patches that were assembled by artist Ruth Broadway into Women’s Work (2024), a new patchwork object. Use our digital archive to explore the individual patches and stories that make up the #patchworkobjectproject.
Banner image credit: Penlee House Gallery & Museum