Bournemouth!

The aim of my outing today?  The Russell-Cotes Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth - an amazing house, built between 1896-1901, built by Merton R-C and given to his wife Annie for her 66th birthday.  Their money came from running the Royal Bath Hotel, next door, and they had become global travelers, amassing packing case after packing case of Things from all over the world - an extraordinary eclectic collection.  It's all decorated to within an inch of its life, in reds and golds, and with lots of painted birds.  R-C had been influenced by Leighton's house - but Leighton's place looks modest by comparison.  And then there's the Victorian and Edwardian art collection - who thought anyone could want to buy so much Edwin Long? - covering all the walls.  There are one or two obvious stand-outs, like Rossetti's Venus Verticordia and Albert Moore's Midsummer - and, I guess, the work I'd particularly wanted to see, Atkinson Grimshaw's An Autumn Idyll (I'm writing a piece about Victorian "Idyll" painting and ecology) - but what was especially interesting was how much of the work was the less well known (like late Arthur Hughes).  There were a surprising number of paintings by women, and many with Oriental themes.  But it was well-nigh impossible to photograph them in any way that would be useful for teaching or even research: most had very reflective glass; most had Victorian or Edwardian sculptures in front of them.  And that's before we get to "Victorian" Christmas decorations (and the fact that they were playing Christmas carols).

But I hadn't been expecting Bournemouth to be so pretty!  (off-season, and with startlingly bright sunshine, mind you).  And there was lichen! (on the pier);

and a sunset worthy of California;

and the Church of St Peter's - which I wouldn't have known about if it hadn't been for my former grad student Chris McGeorge, but thanks to him I knew there were stunning Burne-Jones decorations;

and goats!

Russell-Cotes - or maybe his wife Annie - seemed to prefer women without clothes on;

here's the view (of the pier) from Annie's boudoir;

another visitor blending into a Laura Alma-Tadema painting, all the figures - live and painted - looking as though Vermeer had a hand in their making;

oh, and the Ladies;

and the beach!  The wonderful beach - with the Isle of Wight in the background.