The Broadway Colony of Creativity

A museum display about the Broadway Colony of artists and writers, including William Morris and John Singer Sargent, who lived or worked in Broadway between 1870 and 1920.

This collection display explores the Broadway Colony of Creativity, a group of artists, writers and musicians who lived or visited, worked and played in Broadway between 1870 and 1920. Figures covered include William Morris, Edwin Austin Abbey, Francis D Millet, Alfred Parsons, Henry James, Edmund Gosse, Frederick Barnard and John Singer Sargent. The display explains how the decline of coach travel after the arrival of steam technology and the railways caused Broadway's prosperity to collapse, while the village's traditional Cotswold stone buildings, idyllic countryside and sense of peaceful isolation attracted creatives. It also looks at how Sargent realigned his artistic career after falling in love with Broadway, with works shown including Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, Viscountess Lifford, Emily Sargent, The Letter and a portrait of Flora Priestley.