Victorian Babylon : People, Streets and Images in Nineteenth-Century London

In this innovative look at nineteenth-century London, Lynda Nead offers a fresh account of modernity and metropolitan life. Taking a highly interdisciplinary approach, Nead charts the relationship between London's formation into a modern city in the 1860s and the emergence of new ways of producing and consuming visual culture. "[This] genuinely interdisciplinary study . . . makes a major contribution to our knowledge of the lived experience of the Victorian city."Timothy Barringer, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians "Provocative and brilliant."Susan P. Casteras, Nineteenth Century Studies "Splendid. . . . [Nead] brings an art historian's fine sense of visual detail; indeed, one of the most striking features of the book is the wonderful illustrative material."John Marriott, History Today "An intriguing study of London at the crossroads of modern history. . . .Well-researched and insightful."Rebecca Ittner, Victorian Homes "An evocative and visually stunning account of the shifting geographies, temporalities, and visions of mid-Victorian London. . . . Well and beautifully written."Erika, D. Rappaport, Albion "Nead not only provides a more accurate regendering of the historical townscape but enriches our understanding of modern urban experience."Peter Bailey, Journal of Social History

Lynda Nead is professor of history of art at Birkbeck College, University of London.