Francesca Rose Butcher
MA work
MA work
An Art for Art's Sake? Frederick Stibbert and the Collecting Lifestyle of the Nineteenth Century
This dissertation explores the lifestyle of the nineteenth-century, Anglo-Florentine, obsessive collector Frederick Stibbert (1838-1906). Through an analysis of his buying habits, the networks he created, and the spaces he produced to house his precious objects, this research presents Stibbert in a new light, and positions him within the wider context of nineteenth-century collecting culture.
This work examines circulating trends and styles of the nineteenth century and shows how Stibbert was influenced by the time that he lived in, and how this was reflected in his collection. Stibbert’s interest in the Aesthetic Movement, for example, is evident in the interior of his Museum, as well as with the individuals Stibbert received at his house. This connection has previously been left unexplored. Stibbert fashioned himself as an artist; collecting was his art and his house museum was his magnum opus. Like the artists of the Aesthetic Movement, Stibbert’s art was ‘Art for Art’s sake’ and he collected without purpose or reason. All these artists collected beautiful things, led extravagant (often queer) lifestyles and lived in ‘Palaces of Art.’
The Stibbert Museum was an almost superficial product built on visual culture, rather than the learned culture which drove the establishment of many museums in the same period. By tracing Stibbert’s engagement with antiquarians, antique dealers and other collectors across Europe, and through an in-depth study of his accounts and personal correspondence, this dissertation explores how Stibbert viewed himself and his collection. As well as how, with whom and why he created the networks that he did. Lastly, this work investigates the spaces that Stibbert tentatively designed for his objects to show how the house reflected Stibbert’s character and ideas, and to demonstrate how public and private spaces evolved over time to suit Stibbert’s ever-changing needs.
Info
Info
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MA Degree
School
School of Humanities
Programme
MA History of Design, 2016
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Having studied predominantly British medieval social history at undergraduate level and Victorian European collecting history at postgraduate level, my interests are now temporally and geographically far-reaching. I am inspired by beautiful things and how they have impacted our everyday lives from 1350 up to present day. I am fascinated by collecting as a human activity and how the acquisition of objects can become a way of life.
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Degrees
- BA History, The University of York, 2014; MA History of Design, The Royal College of Art/Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016
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Experience
- Intern, Crab Tree Farm, Chicago, USA, 2015; Volunteer, Furniture Textile and Fashion Department, V&A, London, UK, 2015; Organiser and chair, IHR/V&A Early Modern Material Cultures Seminar Series, London, UK, 2015; Treasurer and curator, The Norman Rea Gallery, York, UK, 2013–14; Creative marketing intern, The University of York, UK, 2013–14; Deputy fashion editor, Nouse, UK, 2013–2014; Curator, King’s Manor Exhibition, York, UK, 2013
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Awards
- The York Award, 2014
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Publications
- Francesca Butcher and Katy O’Neill, ‘The Fashionable Accountant – Reconstructing his Best Outfit’, V&A Research Blog [Online], 24th September 2014; Researcher and Co‐writer of a Chapter in ‘Marking Time in Early Modern England,’ Angela McShane and John H. Bryan eds., Antique Collectors Society, forthcoming