Victorian artists were remarkably literate; they wrote autobiographies, diaries, and essays and befriended writers and journalists. Writing had become a way to present themselves on the open market and to generate a public image as individuals and collectively within the new professionalism emerging in the century. Letter writing was purposed to solidify and improve artists’ social capital, and their comments were always embedded in social relationships and practices. Thus, artists’ letters reveal much about the artworld structure; its players; and its overlapping spheres of social, economic, and professional identities. Their letters combined frankness with rhetorical pleading and contained their own press releases, studio invitations, and responses to criticism and were often intended for public consumption if used in critics’ reviews. Through letters, artists and critics revealed their reciprocal authority and agency and did not simply reflect the artworld but shaped that world. In their letters, economic gains were sublimated by artists’ desire for fame, Royal Academy acceptance, and a place in art history, then an emerging university discipline, seeking symbolic investments in their reputations and demonstrating that the market is cultural, not just economic. In their letters artists made clear that commodification does not destroy or pollute subjectivity.

中文翻译：

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维多利亚时代艺术家的来信：修辞、网络和社会资本

维多利亚时代的艺术家非常有文化；他们写自传、日记和散文，并与作家和记者成为朋友。写作已成为一种在公开市场上展示自己的方式，并在本世纪出现的新专业主义中塑造个人和集体的公众形象。写信旨在巩固和提升艺术家的社会资本，他们的评论始终嵌入在社会关系和实践中。因此，艺术家的信件揭示了许多关于艺术世界结构的信息；它的玩家；及其重叠的社会、经济和职业身份领域。他们的信件将坦率与修辞恳求相结合，并包含他们自己的新闻稿、工作室邀请和对批评的回应，并且如果在批评家的评论中使用，则通常旨在供公众使用。通过信件，艺术家和评论家揭示了他们相互的权威和代理权，不仅反映了艺术世界，而且塑造了这个世界。在他们的信中，艺术家们渴望成名，被皇家学院录取，在艺术史中占有一席之地，然后是一门新兴的大学学科，寻求对他们的声誉进行象征性投资，并表明市场是文化的，而不仅仅是经济的，这使经济收益升华。在他们的信件中，艺术家们明确表示商品化不会破坏或污染主观性。寻求对其声誉的象征性投资，并证明市场是文化的，而不仅仅是经济的。在他们的信件中，艺术家们明确表示商品化不会破坏或污染主观性。寻求对其声誉的象征性投资，并证明市场是文化的，而不仅仅是经济的。在他们的信件中，艺术家们明确表示商品化不会破坏或污染主观性。