Print Culture and Distribution Part 1

The term 'late age of print' comes from Marshall Mcluhan, which is what we are a part of. However the age of print began in 1450 and much has happened since then to get us where we are now.

The first art school in the country was Somerset House, named the 'Royal Academy.' This taught painting sculpture, architecture, music and poetry; this was only for the privileged but it was the gateway for learning design and using it on mass.
In fact the industrial revolution of 1760 to 1840 saw a boom for new industry and labour, causing the nature of society to change and created a noticeable segregation between the classes. The impoverishment and facilities of the working class meant a organic culture was created, for new affordable art and entertainment.
In 1820 John Martin began putting his work into an exhibition, charging people reasonable prices to see it rather than selling it on. This meant that art was no longer exclusively for the privileged, but available for everyone.

There was some opposition to this new found freedom, such as Mathew Arnold who wrote 'Culture and Anarchy' in 1867. This suggested that culture was something pure that had no agenda other than to control the working class. It has been considered that hate on commercial art derived from prejudices against the working class in the 1870s.

F.R.Levis who wrote 'Mass Civilization and Minority Culture' suggested that popular culture is a form of addiction, almost like a drug. It makes you refuse to face reality whereas true art makes you confront the world. He also said ‘the minority, who had hitherto set the standard of taste without any serious challenge have experienced a ‘collapse of authority’, which was fundamentally true. 

Black Bess was one of the first publications produced by the working class, for the working class. Eventually the Government commissioned schools of design, giving workers the studios for industrial commercialism. After the first one in London these spread to every province, Leeds College of Art was one of them.

People were also able to use new industry and machinery to fight back against systems of power and conformist culture. It also became a time of radical ideas that would create awe and innovation. For example, the Eidophusikon exhibition of 1781 used a darkened room which you could look through to see layers of moving set, actors, smoke and scent. This was an immersive sensory expiernce and was one of the first cases of moving image.

Eventually it became the case that anyone could be a visual communicator. By the new integration of photography- portraiture became a thing of the past. This lead onto print capitalism which transitioned pop culture in place of culture. Some think this is mindless and cheep, produced only for profit.

William Morris was a radical revolutionary of the era and strived for socialism and equality. Most of his work focused on nature not the current industry or slave labour. He even created the William Morris Works- at the Merton Abbey Mills, this was about print culture that was seclusive and collaborative- away from external power.