A. S. Levetus
Journalist
Amelia Sarah Levetus (1853–1938) was the Vienna correspondent for the Studio from 1902 until her death. She was born into Jewish family in Birmingham which was very active in religious, literary and cultural life, and trained as a teacher at Cambridge before leaving for Vienna during the 1890s. In Vienna she became acquainted with Hungarian art critic Ludwig Hevesi and designers, artists and supporters of the Secession. 1
Levetus's personal preference for applied arts coincided with the founding of the Wiener Werkstätte in 1903 and this was reflected in her articles on exhibitions and developments in the Austrian capital and the work of Austrian applied artists at international exhibitions. Major developments in painting during the first decade of the 20th century were however reported only briefly in the 'Studio Talk' section of the journal or omitted all together. 2 In addition to her work for the Studio, Levetus wrote several volumes on culture and applied art: Imperial Vienna (1904), a sort of city guidebook; Peasant Art in Austria and Hungary (1911); and Frank Brangwyn als Radierer (1924). 3
Levetus was also a significant figure in the fledgling women's movement in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century, publishing and lecturing on the education and improvement of women, and of the working classes. She owned and taught at an English language school where she also organised a conversation club, the John Ruskin Club, which boasted a diverse programme of events and guest lectures on British history, culture and politics and offered trips to the UK. 4
Notes:
1: ‘Levetus, Celia (c.1819–73)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [check]; Joshua Large, 'The Studio and the workshops: Amelia Levetus and the British influence on the applied arts in Vienna', unpublished MA thesis, Central European University, Budapest, 2003, pp. 42–4; Knowledge Base Erwachsenbildung, Who is Who?: Amelia Sarah Levetus, www.adulteducation.at/de/historiografie/personen/80/ [accessed 14 August 2012].
2: Joshua Large, 'The Studio and the workshops: Amelia Levetus and the British influence on the applied arts in Vienna', unpublished MA thesis, Central European University, Budapest, 2003, p. 51–2.
3: Joshua Large, 'The Studio and the workshops: Amelia Levetus and the British influence on the applied arts in Vienna', unpublished MA thesis, Central European University, Budapest, 2003, pp. 53–7; Knowledge Base Erwachsenbildung, Who is Who?: Amelia Sarah Levetus, www.adulteducation.at/de/historiografie/personen/80/ [accessed 14 August 2012].
4: Joshua Large, 'The Studio and the workshops: Amelia Levetus and the British influence on the applied arts in Vienna', unpublished MA thesis, Central European University, Budapest, 2003, pp. 45–9, 58; Knowledge Base Erwachsenbildung, Who is Who?: Amelia Sarah Levetus, www.adulteducation.at/de/historiografie/personen/80/ [accessed 14 August 2012].
