From 1837 to 1901, Queen Victoria ruled England. She ruled while the British Empire became the most powerful, most modern, and wealthiest nation in the world. For this reason, many people of that era were very positive. They believed science could solve the world's problems. They believed their Empire was changing the world for the better. Their new wealth and positive outlook led to an explosion of new artwork, as people had time to make, think about, and consume art. The Victorian Age gave us new styles of painting. One was called Pre-Raphaelite. The Pre-Raphaelites believed that after Raphael and Michelangelo, art became too controlled. They believed emotion and rich details were more important than reason and rules of composition. They thought paintings should explode with color and feeling. Their paintings were richly colored and very detailed. Dante Rossetti and William Holman Hunt are typical Pre-Raphaelite painters. Romanticism was similar to the Pre-Raphaelite movement in that it valued emotion over reason. The Romanticists were fascinated by nature—the heroic and beautiful and the dark and diseased. They used scenes from the Middle Ages because they believed that was a darker, more passionate time than the popular Classical period. They focused on amazing individuals rather than social rules. Another important development in Victorian art was the beginning of photography. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to have her photo taken. This new technology was being used for science and art. Many early photos are composed like paintings, while others explore the differences between the art forms. The energy and emotions of the Victorian Age brought many positive changes. People pushed the boundaries of their art and technology and created new styles and new ideas. They still influence us today.
維多利亞女王從1837 年到1901 年間統治英國。在她的統治期間，大英帝國成為世上最強、最現代，且最富有的國家。因此，當時許多人抱持著非常正面的想法，他們相信科學能解決世界的問題，也相信大英帝國使世界變得更好。因為人們有時間創作、思考、並欣賞藝術，其對未來富有積極的嶄新展望使得新的藝術作品大量出現。 維多利亞時期給了我們嶄新的繪畫風格，其中一種風格叫做「前拉斐爾派」。前拉斐爾派的人相信，藝術在拉斐爾及米開朗基羅後受到太多控制，他們認為情感及豐富的細節比理性及構圖規則更重要，他們認為圖畫應充滿顏色與感覺，其畫作顏色豐富且非常細膩，但丁• 羅塞蒂及威廉• 霍爾曼• 亨特，是典型的前拉斐爾派畫家。 浪漫主義與前拉斐爾派運動的相似之處在於浪漫主義較重視情感而非理性。浪漫主義者對大自然感到著迷，不論是英勇、美麗、邪惡、或病弱都是他們喜愛的主題。他們採用中古時期的場景，因為他們相信那個時代比受歡迎的古典時代更為黑暗、更加熱情，他們將重點放在個人的風采，而非社會規則。 維多利亞時期藝術的另一個重要發展是攝影技術的開始。維多利亞女王是第一位接受肖像拍攝的君主，這個新科技被用在科學及藝術上，許多早期照片的構圖就像圖畫一樣，而其他的則探索藝術形式之間的不同。 維多利亞時期的能量與情感帶來了許多正面的改變，人們突破藝術與科技的界限，並創造新風格，激發新想法，這些改變時至今日仍影響著我們。 | 
