The Art of Mary Linwood: Embroidery, Installation, and Entrepreneurship in Britain, 1787-1845

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The Art of Mary Linwood is the first book on Leicester textile artist Mary Linwood (1755-1845) and catalogue of her work. When British textile artist and gallery owner Mary Linwood died in 1845 just shy of 90 years old, her estate was worth the equivalent of 5,199,822 in todays currency. As someone who made, but did not sell, embroidered replicas of famous artworks after artists such as Gainsborough, Reynolds, Stubbs, and Morland, how did she accumulate so much money A pioneering woman in the male-dominated art world of late Georgian Britain, Linwood established her own London gallery in 1798 that featured copies of well-known paintings by these popular artists. Featuring props and specially designed rooms for her replicas, she ensured that her visitors had an entertaining, educational, and kinetic tour, similar to what Madame Tussaud would do one generation later. The gallerys focus on picturesque painters provided her London visitors with an idyllic imaginary journey through the countryside. Its emphasis on quintessentially British artists provided a unifying focus for a country that had recently emerged from the threat of Napoleonic invasion. This book brings to the fore Linwood's gallery guides and previously unpublished letters to her contemporaries, such as Birmingham inventor Matthew Boulton and Queen Charlotte. It also includes the first and only catalogue of Linwoods extant and destroyed works. By examining Linwoods replicas and their accompanying objects through the lens of material culture, the book provides a much-needed contribution to the scholarship on women and cultural agency in the early 19th century.

Reviews

Highly readable and beautifully researched, The Art of Mary Linwood restores this multifaceted artist to her rightful place in the history of art, offering a fascinating insight into the remarkable experience of a virtuosic embroiderer, entrepreneur, installation artist, mentor, and educator. Strobels rich assessment of Linwoods oeuvre illuminates the many ways in which intermedial artforms flourished during this period. * Laura Engel, Professor of English, Duquesne University, USA *
Heidi Strobels brilliantly researched and engaging study enriches and expands scholarship on women artists. This book deftly explores Linwoods multiple roles as entrepreneur, educator, exhibition designer, and embroidery artist. Strobels book challenges common assumptions about art history, material culture, and gender. * Christina K. Lindeman, Associate Professor of Art History, University of South Alabama, USA *
Situating Linwoods unique artistic practice in the context of cultural patriotism and the London gallery scene, this long overdue biography and catalogue raisonn has fresh relevance today. * Kimberly Chrisman Campbell, author of Fashion Victims (2015), Worn on This Day (2019), and Skirts (2022). *
This fascinating book repositions Mary Linwood at the center of London's vibrant gallery culture, delivering a comprehensive picture of Linwood's innovative work across exhibition making and the decorative arts. * Freya Gowrley, Lecturer in History of Art and Liberal Arts, University of Bristol, UK *
This book makes an essential contribution to British art history, textile history, and the history of display. Its treatment of Linwood, who combined the roles of female artist, entrepreneur, curator, and educator, reveals new, vibrant paths of study. * Ryan Whyte, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts & Science, OCAD University, Canada *

Author Bio

Heidi A. Strobel is Associate Professor of Art History and Curator of the Peters-Margedant House, University of Evansville, USA.