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A painting of a tip of a peacock feather.

School of Ruskin

Drawn by Ruskin and his assistants (including the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais) on paper backed by canvas, in a range of media – including graphite, ink and gouache – these lecture diagrams represent an unparalleled documentary of the development of Ruskin’s ideas through his public speaking career. Their rarity makes them nationally significant examples of material that has otherwise been lost because of its treatment as ephemera. In Ruskin’s lifetime the diagrams were rolled up and left in storage.

A series of artworks are projected onto the walls of a lecture room. A person sits at a desk with monitors.
A series of artworks are projected onto the walls of a lecture room. A person sits at a desk with monitors.

Work in Progress, Ruskin’s Lecture Diagrams in Lancaster University’s Data Immersion Suite © The Ruskin, Lancaster University

Of the 45 lecture diagrams in The Ruskin Whitehouse Collection, 10 large-scale diagrams of botanical and architectural subjects were selected for priority remedial conservation. A programme of conservation funded by the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust in 2020 (Grant Number 19–10) has been completed, and research continues on the remaining lecture diagrams.

Project Lead: Professor Sandra Kemp, The Ruskin