Blog
33. Ruskin & Morris at Oxford (Part II)
In the second part of his two-part Ruskin Research Blog looking at William Morris’s declaration for socialism in November 1883, Stuart Eagles surveys the contemporary reaction to Morris’s Oxford lecture and finds a connection to Shakespeare and Jack the Ripper (well,...
32. Ruskin & Morris at Oxford (Part I)
In his latest Ruskin Research Blog, Stuart Eagles looks back at the moment in November 1883 when William Morris declared for socialism in front of an audience at University College, Oxford. John Ruskin, the Slade Professor of Fine Art, responded warmly. Looking at the...
31. Ruskin, Books, and Reading
In his latest Ruskin Research Blog, Stuart Eagles stays local and discovers another intriguing and unexpected connection between his hometown of Reading and Victorian polymath, John Ruskin … THE LOVE OF BOOKS &THE JOY OF READING Yes, dear reader, my title is a...
30. The Craze for Cheapness
In his latest Ruskin Research Blog, Stuart Eagles looks at an argument Ruskin had with an ideal husband about … THE CRAZE FOR CHEAPNESS In August 1912 an article appeared in the provincial press which asked, “Was Ruskin Right?” It was part of a column called “From the...
29. Ruskin & Lord Ronald Gower
If you try to look up Lord Ronald Gower in a book about Ruskin, you almost certainly won’t find him. Yet, as Stuart Eagles explains in his latest Ruskin Research Blog, Gower and Ruskin had at least two meaningful meetings. The story involves Broadlands, Oxford, the...
28. A Royal Commemoration of Ruskin
In this year of celebrations in the UK to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Stuart Eagles looks back at a notable Royal commemoration of Ruskin. In this case, the Royals involved were the King and Queen of Italy, and the occasion was the International...
27. Ruskin and Folkestone
Between August and October 1887 Ruskin was in Folkestone. He purchased some drawings of the town as it looked earlier in the century, but resisted appeals to give them to the local museum. This blog sheds new light on the episode. RUSKIN AND FOLKESTONE Ruskin arrived...
26. The Allegory of Good Government
In my last blog, I implored you to “come back soon” only to keep you waiting for far too long. Having recovered from a recent bout of illness, I’m now ready to share what I described before as “an intriguing account of one of Ruskin’s digger-breakfasts at Corpus”. THE...
25. Breakfast with Ruskin
As the 203rd anniversary of Ruskin’s birth comes upon us, it seems natural to wonder what Ruskin was really like. We might wish to ask how we would have felt had we met him ourselves? Stuart Eagles explores what Oxford students thought of Ruskin by looking at some...
24. The Ruskinian Serviteers
In my first Ruskin Research Blog of 2022, I look back on a set of proposals made a hundred years ago. Inspired by Ruskin, the plan, conceived in Sheffield, appears to have escaped the attention of Ruskin scholars until now. Although the scheme came to nought in the...