Caricatures and Cut-Outs: Collecting Print in Nineteenth-Century Britain and Europe

The Bowes Museum and Northumbria University are delighted to offer a fully-funded Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) PhD studentship, as part of the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme.
The nineteenth century saw the emergence of a modern, visual print culture across Europe. This project explores this crucial moment in the emergence of a visual world through the Bowes Museum's large collection of nineteenth-century prints. Created by the Museum's founders, John and Joséphine Bowes, the collection of prints from all over Europe reflects the personal lives and collecting interests of this Franco-British couple.
The successful candidate will develop a PhD project that uses the Bowes prints as a central case study for exploring how collections of popular print were created in nineteenth-century Europe. The project offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to our understanding of print culture and collecting, as well as the emergence of a modern, transnational European visual culture. Students are invited to propose a project that explores the Bowes' rich collection through one or more of the following themes: Collecting, consumption and display; Meaning and making in the visual age; Gender and visual print culture; Picturing Europe.
The successful candidate will become part of the dynamic and lively community of researchers in the Department of Humanities at Northumbria University, and be part of the Bowes Museum's vibrant cohort of collaborative doctoral researchers. As a CDP studentship, the project offers the chance to develop a unique set of transferable skills and research expertise through working collaboratively with expert staff at both Northumbria and the Bowes Museum, as well as providing access to dedicated professional development and training.