Beyond Bloomsbury

Historical Artist and Writer Biographies | Curated Gallery and Library Collections | Historical Investigations

Beyond Bloomsbury, a painting created for the site by Mary MacCarthy (granddaughter of Bloomsbury Desmond MacCarthy), 2023

Introduction

Welcome to Beyond Bloomsbury, an ongoing archive of historical artist and writer biographies, curated gallery and library collections, and occasional historical investigations. Thank you for visiting!

I’m Victoria, a historian, writer, and doctoral scholar of early twentieth-century art, literature and history, with a particular interest in the life and work of the Bloomsbury Group. Before the interdisciplinary PhD, I achieved a first degree and a post-graduate degree in Art History and a further post-graduate degree in Journalism - together with awards from the National Council for the Training of Journalists - and have been working as an arts writer, most recently of academic study guides, for many years.

I launched Beyond Bloomsbury to celebrate the remarkable Bloomsbury Group, their friends and contemporaries, and this incredibly important period in art and literary history. The biography collection so far can be viewed in the Archive, together with a curated selection of art and words from the Bloomsbury Gallery and the Bloomsbury Library.

Occasionally, I will also delve into a range of historical mysteries before and beyond Bloomsbury in Bloomsbury Investigates.

Thank you for reading!

Subscription Options

Paid Member

• extensive Beyond Bloomsbury biography published each month,

• curated collections from the Bloomsbury Gallery and Bloomsbury Library,

• exclusive Bloomsbury Investigates essays published periodically.

Free Member

• curated collections from the Bloomsbury Gallery and Bloomsbury Library.

Some Lovely Testimonials…

This had me at E.M.Forster. Whether your eyes just lit up, whether you are going "Eh?" or whether you're afraid of Virginia Woolf, this is a great chance to learn more about an extraordinary bunch of writers and artists. Annette Laing, PhD, Historian and Substack newsletter writer of Non-Boring History.

I love the modernists and the writer is clearly passionate about the subject, so it's a delightful read! Julia, Substack writer of Cult Classic.

This is a magical destination that brings back to life the Bloomsbury Group that led the Victorians into the 20th century. It all started with food, wine and talk. I learn something new every time I visit! Robert McDowell, Substack writer of Foodie Poet Cooking for 1

I’ve been an avid Bloomsbury fan for twenty-plus years, own over 30 books and have read many more, but after reading your piece today, I realize how little I’ve actually known about Dora Carrington. Thank you so much.

Wonderful! Thank you so much for these little gems which drop into my inbox. Such a blessed escape from the modern world.