Work of Arts of Britain

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Doré’s engravings: the archetypal look of Victorian London

Illustrator Gustave Doré shares significant responsibility with writer Charles Dickens for shaping the collective memory of the murky squalor of Victorian London. His engraving, 'Over London by Rail', shown above, provides a visual equivalent of the Dickens novels that take us into the workhouses, the slums, the dark alleys and the opium dens.

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Tenniel’s Alice: the classic image of Carroll's creation

The popular image of the heroine of 'Alice in Wonderland' is eternally shaped by the first and greatest illustrator of the book, John Tenniel - though it seems this was a commission he did not enjoy very much.

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The Coventry Doom - wonderful medieval church decoration

Church decoration was once more flamboyant in Britain, with painted plaster, statues and pillars embellishing religious buildings. Time, fashion, the Reformation, and Puritanism erased much of that, but a few Medieval church decorations still survive. One such is Coventry's "Doom" painting.

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J. M. W. Turner - putting the railway in the picture

'Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway' is an 1844 painting by British artist J. M. W. Turner, regarded as significant for its evocative depiction of the recently growing railway system – a potent symbol of industrialisation at the time.

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E. H. Shepard and Winnie-the-Pooh

Ernest Howard Shepard OBE, MC (1879 – 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator, best known and loved for his delightful illustrations for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poetry books and The Wind in the Willows.

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The Angel that watches over the North

An iconic symbol of northern pride since 1998, Anthony Gormley's iconic 20-metre high sculpture in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is influenced and inspired by the experience of the Coalminers - who worked in pits beneath the site. It was constructed from 1994-1998, and is made from steel and its creation is regarded as a significant engineering achievement. It has a dominant presence for those travelling on the A1.

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'Dulce et Decorum est' - a poem, and a harrowing account of World War I

During World War One, poetry was popularly used to promote participation in the war effort. Many poems would emotively indicate that it was an honour to fight for one's country - an example is the work of Rupert Brooke. But war poet Wilfred Owen presented a different, and less happy, vision of the conflict.

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Kensington's Statue of Queen Vic

Queen Victoria, who became known as the 'Grandmother of Europe', has more dedications, place namings and other commemorations than any other non-religious figure - including thousands of statues. One of these is situated at Kensington Palace, London, and was sculpted by Victoria's fourth child Princess Louise.

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Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth statue of a pregnant Alison Lapper

Alison Lapper Pregnant was an unusual statue displayed between 2005 and 2007 on the so-called 'Fourth plinth' in Trafalgar Square, which is occupied by a changing set of artworks.

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David Hockney’s Dog Days - and his digital art

The iconic British artist David Hockney has turned his distinctive hand to a wide range of subject matter - from swimming pools in California in the 1960's, through portraits (including of himself) and, more recently, woodland scenes in his native Yorkshire, and an increasing portfolio of digitally created art. In 1995 he staged an exhibition of work that had been prompted by his dogs.

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Gin Lane by Hogarth

Beer Street and Gin Lane are two prints issued in 1751 by English artist William Hogarth in support of what would become the Gin Act.

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To Autumn - John Keats' final poem inspired by a Winchester walk

Capturing the special seasonal atmosphere "To Autumn" is a famous poem by English Romantic poet John Keats, written in 1819 as one of his final works - 18 months before his death in 1821.

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The Rocky Valley Labyrinths

Mysterious carvings in Cornwall which have been tentatively dated to the Early Bronze Age - their purpose and meaning unknown.

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