Preface

Abstract

When John Lane published the first volume of The Yellow Book just over 130 years ago in April 1894, no one could have predicted how groundbreaking the periodical would be, not only as a bridge between traditional and modern notions of visual art and literature and a springboard for the career of Aubrey Beardsley, but particularly as an outlet for women writers and artists. This current issue of Volupté, guest-edited by Lucy Ella Rose and Louise Wenman-James (and coming hot on the heels of our last redundancy-delayed issue on neo-Victorian decadence), turns the spotlight on the contributions made by women, ‘drawing out their networks and communities, and exploring how The Yellow Book represented a cornerstone of their careers’ (p. ii).