Pamela Fletcher is Professor of Art History at Bowdoin College, U.S.A.

• 1. The Reform of Art 2. The Response: Looking into the Lives of Others 3. ‘The Meaning and Inexhaustibleness of Life’: Defining a Genre 4. The Here and Now of Modern Life 5. Shipwreck, Suicide, Sensation, Surface: The Decline of the Modern Life Subject

“Essential reading for students, scholars, lovers and haters of nineteenth-century Britain, this book breathes new life into the genre of Victorian modern life painting. Fletcher’s masterful analyses of works by leading painters of the mid-Victorian period, combined with her deep understanding of Victorian exhibition culture, make for a truly fascinating read.”Keren Rosa Hammerschlag, Australian National University “In pursuing the question ‘What does modern life feel like?’ Pamela Fletcher’s enthralling book invites readers into the rich relationships that existed between Victorian artists, their paintings, and their publics. This study radically shifts what we think we know about nineteenth-century British art.”Aviva Briefel, Bowdoin College

Pamela Fletcher is Professor of Art History at Bowdoin College, U.S.A.

• 1. The Reform of Art 2. The Response: Looking into the Lives of Others 3. ‘The Meaning and Inexhaustibleness of Life’: Defining a Genre 4. The Here and Now of Modern Life 5. Shipwreck, Suicide, Sensation, Surface: The Decline of the Modern Life Subject

“Essential reading for students, scholars, lovers and haters of nineteenth-century Britain, this book breathes new life into the genre of Victorian modern life painting. Fletcher’s masterful analyses of works by leading painters of the mid-Victorian period, combined with her deep understanding of Victorian exhibition culture, make for a truly fascinating read.”Keren Rosa Hammerschlag, Australian National University “In pursuing the question ‘What does modern life feel like?’ Pamela Fletcher’s enthralling book invites readers into the rich relationships that existed between Victorian artists, their paintings, and their publics. This study radically shifts what we think we know about nineteenth-century British art.”Aviva Briefel, Bowdoin College

Pamela Fletcher is Professor of Art History at Bowdoin College, U.S.A.

• 1. The Reform of Art 2. The Response: Looking into the Lives of Others 3. ‘The Meaning and Inexhaustibleness of Life’: Defining a Genre 4. The Here and Now of Modern Life 5. Shipwreck, Suicide, Sensation, Surface: The Decline of the Modern Life Subject

“Essential reading for students, scholars, lovers and haters of nineteenth-century Britain, this book breathes new life into the genre of Victorian modern life painting. Fletcher’s masterful analyses of works by leading painters of the mid-Victorian period, combined with her deep understanding of Victorian exhibition culture, make for a truly fascinating read.”Keren Rosa Hammerschlag, Australian National University “In pursuing the question ‘What does modern life feel like?’ Pamela Fletcher’s enthralling book invites readers into the rich relationships that existed between Victorian artists, their paintings, and their publics. This study radically shifts what we think we know about nineteenth-century British art.”Aviva Briefel, Bowdoin College