Comparing Boughton's Studio to the Studios of Mayall's Artists

Compared with the studios of the artists represented in Artists at Home, Boughton’s is distinctly individual. Though all are filled with aesthetic and decorative objects, natural light, and East Asian and other international influences, Boughton’s home and studio are distinctly “homely,” as the word was used in nineteenth-century Britain to mean cosy, or comfortable. While Frederic Leighton’s home asserts strength and regality through high doorways, ­­­­a stone staircase, and an architectural revival of the Italian Renaissance, and Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s home achieves an unusual Oriental character through a lack of doors on the second floor, Boughton’s home is distinctly comfortable, emphasizing hospitality rather than grandeur. Each artist’s studio is in the same way formed through distinct choices: Leighton’s characterized by the supreme decoration of its atelier, Alma-Tadema’s, the Pompeiian-looking interior, and Boughton’s, the high northern window and his command of its light. Just as the studio home became an extension of the Victorian artist’s unique sense of self and artistic presence, so too did the studio, acting as a physical representation of artistic genius.

In the images above, the Artists at Home studios of Marcus Stone, John Pettie, Alma-Tadema, Valentine Prinsep, Leighton, and John Millais are featured in order to contextualize George Boughton's studio and home. Even though Boughton's studio was not ultimately featured in Artists at Home, his residence was an attractive landmark as well as a hub of social activity. His studio, his wife's parties and events, and their collaboration in the inception of their home are all qualities that would have made West House and George Henry Boughton valuable assets to the publication.