Two collectors, one era: Victorian visions on show at Leighton House

Two collectors, one era: Victorian visions on show at Leighton House

When Victorian art fell out of fashion in the early 20th century, one man began collecting it, and now some of his substantial collection has gone on display. Cecil French was an Irish-born artist and poet who gave up painting and started buying instead. By the time he died, he owned 150 artworks by some of the top Victorian and early 20th-century artists, and he generously donated the entire collection to several museums. But not the V & A, whi…