Why did Edwin Long's painting create such a commotion when first exhibited in 1875?
Edwin Long's painting Babylonian Marriage Market depicts the auction of girls for marriage. When it was first shown at the Royal Academy in 1875 it caused a sensation. The picture is now being exhibited at the Leighton House Museum in London.
Martha is joined by Dr Sophie Gilmartin, a lecturer in Victorian Studies, and Dr Mary Cowling, an art historian and the curator of the Royal Holloway Collection to talk about the painting's significance.
The Price of Beauty: Edwin Long's Babylonian Marriage Market is at the Leighton House Museum until 16 January 2005. There is a Study Day on Tuesday 16 November.
