Newcastle University

Exhibitions: The Aesthetics of Travel: the Beautiful, the Picturesque, and the Sublime

An exhibition of material in the Robinson Library Special Collections

The exhibition uses aesthetic experience, a popular subject of late eighteenth-century and Romantic philosophy, as a vehicle for celebrating travel and travellers in Newcastle University Library's Special Collections. It aims to introduce ways of perceiving the external world which still hold some relevance today, drawing upon philosophical and literary works, art and travel accounts.

The exhibition comprises six sections:

• Introduction
• The Grand Tour
• Aesthetic Theory
• The Beautiful
• The Picturesque
• The Sublime

The Special Collections exhibition area is located on level 2 of the Robinson Library, to the left of the main counter as you walk to the computer clusters.

You might also find the Special Collections short guides, Research Collections for Travel, and Research Collections for Local History of interest.

This exhibition has been produced by Melanie Wood, with the assistance of Alan Callender.

Special Collections

Special Collections are holdings of important books, manuscripts, maps and miscellaneous materials. Often these items are characterised by age, value and rarity therefore demanding that they be kept in closed access stores. They are, however, available for consultation within the Library and can be requested on printed forms available at the main counter, or electronically via the Special Collections web pages. All members of the University are entitled to use Special Collections; external users may access materials by appointment.
The Reading Room is open Monday - Friday, 9:30 - 4:45.