Charting a new kind of beauty, art and aesthetic

Paintings such as Albert Moore's An Open Book (1883-84) and Whistler's Symphony in White No 3 (1865-67) are on display at the V&A as part of The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900, and exhibition which deals with several areas of late nineteenth century design, including dress, as part of an examination of a new culture, art and aesthetic (2 April - 17 July).

At the end of the nineteenth century, while Paris was famed for the perfect and precise, Colin McDowell comments, that was absolutely not what London's artistic middle classes required. (A difference between the two cities that is still true today). As women took more control of their lives, including how they chose to dress, England's individuality asserted itself - and continues today.

For a further exploration of this influential art movement in late nineteenth century England, order your copy of The Aesthetic Movement while stocks last.