At the same time, a severe economic depression and the increasing spread of mechanisation made British cities an increasingly unpleasant place to live, and artists turned against the emphasis on reflecting reality. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 led to a number of influential French Impressionist artists moving to London, bringing with them new styles of painting. Although the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was relatively short-lived, their ideas were highly influential. They were particularly fascinated by recent scientific advances which appeared to disprove the biblical chronology, as they related to the scientists' attention to detail and willingness to challenge their own existing beliefs. They also felt that it was the role of the artist to tell moral lessons, and chose subjects which would have been understood as morality tales by the audiences of the time. Their works were based on painting as accurately as possible from nature when able, and when painting imaginary scenes to ensure they showed as closely as possible the scene as it would have appeared, rather than distorting the subject of the painting to make it appear noble. In the late 1840s and early 50s, a group of young art students formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood as a reaction against the teaching of the Royal Academy. The rise of the wealthy middle class had changed the art market, and a generation who had grown up in an industrial age believed in the importance of accuracy and attention to detail, and that the role of art was to reflect the world, not to idealise it. By the time of Victoria's accession to the throne, this approach was coming to be seen as stale and outdated. This had proved a successful approach for artists in the pre-industrial period, where the main subjects of artistic commissions were portraits of the nobility and military and historical scenes. Reynolds and the academy were strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, and believed that it was the role of an artist to make the subject of their work appear as noble and idealised as possible. Painting in the early years of her reign was dominated by the Royal Academy of Arts and by the theories of its first president, Joshua Reynolds. Victoria's early reign was characterised by rapid industrial development and social and political change, which made the United Kingdom one of the most powerful and advanced nations in the world. Victorian painting refers to the distinctive styles of painting in the United Kingdom during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). Subsequently it focuses on a very special use of a mirror as a secret key-mechanism and invisible door/passage leading to an underground space used for escape, hiding, and punishment, and it discusses this particular use of the mirror as a constructive element in the mystery novel.A Private View at the Royal Academy (1883) by William Powell Frith The present paper examines the role of the mirror in this novel in the context of the aforementioned meanings. Some of these meanings of katoptron can be found in the three-volume Modern Greek novel The King of Hades published in Constantinople in 1882, written by Konstantinos Megarefs and obviously inspired by the famous The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas. But it appears that there was a wider spread of the use of katoptron/mirror as a synonym of profound (and meant to be scientific) research on social and individual morality. A widespread use of katoptron during the same period made the mirror equivalent to a means that provides a wide periscopic or panoramic point of view, a full inspection of an issue discussed by the writer. Many 19th-century Modern Greek writers, just like their colleagues in Europe, used 'katoptron' as a means of mirroring in metaphorical and symbolic ways: it mirrors the body but reflects the soul, it tells truths or lies, it reveals the future or the past, it provokes feelings and emotions, joy or despair, self-complacency or remorse. It is well-known that during this period katoptron as a material object still indicated luxury and welfare. In 19th-century Modern Greek life, the most common written word that means 'mirror' was 'katoptron'.
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