Fifty Years of Work Without Wages: Laborare Est Orare

By Charles Rowley

Book Overview

Born in Ancoats, a deprived industrial area of Manchester, Charles Rowley (1839-1933) witnessed what he saw as the degeneration of inner-city life in the second half of the nineteenth century. His family's picture-framing business, combined with his love of culture, brought him into contact with the ideas and personalities associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, notably William Morris. As a social reformer, Rowley was suspicious of organised charity and its tendency to patronise those it tried to support. Through a number of progressive initiatives, he laboured to bring art and culture to working people: the Ancoats Brotherhood, which organised lectures and reading groups, was among the many projects he fostered. First published in 1911, these well-illustrated memoirs present a thoughtful portrait of Rowley's experiences and enthusiasms, touching upon his interactions with such artists as Ford Madox Brown, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1108064582
• ISBN13: 9781108064583
• Release Date: February 2014
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"