Tyneside Through The Pages

Tyneside Through the Pages: Palaces of Industry and Art - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
Join Dr Barbara Morden for a fascinating look at Tyneside’s history through the pages of some literary favourites in this series of six study days.

Sessions begin with an introduction to the themes and social issues raised in each classic and how these can be related to the story of Newcastle and the North East at the time.

Then discover a key painting of the period before exploring the stores and collections at the Discovery Museum. There will be plenty of food for thought and opportunity for discussion.

This classic novel juxtaposes a life lived in the rarefied atmosphere of art and ideal beauty and the stark realities of urban life in the 1890s. As well as considering the ‘Aesthete’ and the fashion for all things Japanese, we will explore the relationship between industry and art here in the North East.

In addition, come with into the phantasmagorical dream worlds of department stores such as Fenwick and Bainbridge’s and enter into the worlds of melodrama, music-hall, illusionist and cinematograph shows, and the circus.

Included in this study day: A short talk on the Fenwick exhibition, and the Taste for Japonaiserie in Newcastle 1800-1900s.