Dartmoor: a wild and wondrous region

This book, by Peter F Mason, traces the portrayal of Dartmoor in art from 1750 to 1920, as it changed from an 'awful' and 'dreary mountainous tract' that was best avoided, into the epitome of the 'picturesque'.

The transformation in the popular view of the moor was largely brought about through the imagination of visiting and local artists. JMW Turner was an early visitor; his work inspired others to follow in his footsteps. The coming of the railways brought ever greater numbers of tourists to Exeter and Dartmoor: locally based artists such as William and FJ Widgery catered for this market and made Dartmoor landscape art immensely popular. Through railway posters and postcards, the work of artists contributed directly to the tourist trade and early photographers capitalised on this market.

ISBN 9780956391025

48 pages, 230x170mm, full colour, 2017

• 
• Tweet