Graduate student Lauren Greer presented a paper entitled “Glamour: A Dissection of John Anster Fitzgerald’s Fairland” at Cambridge University’s Graduate Conference in December 2012. This entry describes the research process that led to the presentation and her experience at Cambridge.
As last summer slowly trickled to an end with the fall semester rapidly approaching I began to once again get into the academic frame of mind. In doing, so I came across the perfect call for papers, it seemed too good to be true, a conference specifically on magic and the occult in art history! As I read further it only got better, Charming Intentions: Occultism, Magic and the History of Art was the theme for the 2012/13 Graduate Conference at Cambridge University. At this point I knew I had to face my fears of presenting at a conference and apply. I figured even if my paper did not get accepted it was still good practice since I had to write a CV and an abstract. As October 15th, the day the conference would be notifying the selected presenters, rolled around I realized how much I wanted my paper to be accepted. So, you can imagine my excitement (and panic) when I received a congratulatory email from the conference organizers informing me that my paper had indeed been chosen. In the subsequent weeks, as the details of the conference were finalized I learned there would be twenty presenters spanning two intense days. I would be presenting on the second day in the first session, giving me time to settle in and get a feel for the conference.
John Anster Fitzgerald, The Chase of the White Mouse, early 1860s. Formerly Nicolette Wernick Collection.
Before I got on a plane for the eight-hour flight I had a lot of work to get done. First, I needed to submit a bio and abstract for the conference brochure. Here is the abstract I submitted:
Glamour: A Dissection of John Anster Fitzgerald’s Fairland
Fairy paintings captured the imagination of artists for approximately thirty years during the mid-19th century. Specifically the painter, John Anster Fitzgerald found his calling in the depiction of the miniature, jewel-toned fairy realm. During this time fairy painters, such as Fitzgerald, began to move away from Shakespearian references to create a fairyland entirely of their own imagination. The rise of fairy subject matter in popular Victorian culture can be attributed to the emergence of common fairy knowledge. The classification and discovery of origins was not limited to the biological sciences, but seeped into the social sciences. As scientists were collecting specimens, folklorists were attempting to discover the origins of fairies. This led to an increasing awareness of fairytales and fairies in Victorian culture. Coinciding with this growing fascination was the spread of Darwinism. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. On the Origin of Species, along with subsequent publications, presented to Victorian society a radical new way to comprehend man’s role in the world. Man was now part of the violent and cruel world of natural selection and the human consciousness was no longer exempt, but subject to the forces of nature.
This paper will seek to understand how, as the theory of evolution stripped away the mystical aura surrounding the natural world, the fantastical world of fairyland began to reflect the growing social uncertainty. My research explores the visualization of Darwinism in order to better grasp the relationship between the theory of evolution and the magical world of fairyland. Specifically, my paper investigates the role of the fairy through a dissection of John Anster ‘Fairy’ Fitzgerald’s complex fairyland in his painting The Chase of the White Mice (c. 1864). Woven into Fitzgerald’s magical realm are references to scientific imagery. Through an analysis of the imagery in The Chase of the White Mice a better understanding of the effects of Darwinism on the Victorian psyche can be reached.
Now, I had to nail down my presentation. Luckily, I was working with Dr. Shelly Nordtorp-Madson on the same topic for an independent study on the visual culture of Darwinism in the 19th century during the fall semester of 2012. Thus, I felt I had a solid body of research by the time I left for Cambridge. During the weeks leading up to the December deadline, members of the art history faculty and staff were incredibly supportive and helpful, listening to my presentation, critiquing and perfecting my PowerPoint, and making sure the images were of the best quality. By the time I got on the plane for London, I was confident in both my knowledge on the subject and the quality of my presentation.
Once I arrived in Cambridge, with my parents who were kind enough to accompany me in my confident but anxious state, it was magical. The conference took place in the upstairs one of the small row houses that make up Cambridge. The room was intimate, about half the size of our classroom with a projection screen and podium at the front. Before the conference got underway I wondered: Would other people be reading a script? What would their PowerPoint look like? Would I be able to answer the questions people would ask? Yes, every person read his/her presentation from a script. The other presenters’ PowerPoints were well done, but it was well worth the extra time I put in to make sure I was not on one slide for too long and that my images were of the highest quality. The five minutes of questions was a huge concern for me, but everyone was supportive, gave me positive feedback and ideas for additional research. After I presented, the coffee breaks and lunch were a great time for meeting people and answering additional questions. I met people from all over the world, England, Germany, Hungary, Scotland, France… with a range of interests from alchemy, Islamic imagery, Roman magical gems, to surrealist magicians… it was amazing. I did it, I faced my fears and the overall experience and the opportunity to share a topic I am fascinated with were well worth the stress and hard work.
View of Cambridge, Photo: Lauren Greer
