Santa Zita and the angel before 1885

Frederick Hollyer created this photogravure of ‘Santa Zita and the Angel’. It depicts the Italian saint who is the patron saint of maids and domestic servants. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. Hollyer was British and active at a time when many artists saw themselves as challenging the industrial revolution by returning to pre-modern styles and subjects. Santa Zita lived in the 13th century, but Hollyer's composition recalls the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s fascination with medieval subject matter. This was a self-consciously conservative movement as it critiqued institutions of modern life, which they saw as blighted by consumerism. The Arts and Crafts movement, with which Hollyer was associated, attempted to return art to its pre-industrial social role. As historians, we can examine artworks like this to understand the social conditions that shape artistic production. To understand this image better, we could research the writings of the Pre-Raphaelites and the literature of the Arts and Crafts movement to gain insight into their world.