Emma is a literary and cultural historian specialising in intersections between modernism and popular culture. Her research interests in the field of print culture include modern periodicals, from standard illustrated popular magazines like The Strand and The Royal to ‘little’ modernist magazines, as well as fashion magazines and art/graphic design journals; interwar graphic design, especially travel posters; and interwar illustration and book design, especially the work of female engravers such as Dorothea Braby, Gwen Raverat and Clare Leighton. 

Emma’s current project, Revolutionary Red Tape: How state bureaucracy shaped British modernism, aims to explore how publicly- and privately-funded arts organisations helped to commission, promote and popularise modernist art, literature and culture in Britain. As part of this project, Emma will explore the Books Across the Sea scheme using the Beatrice Warde Collection at the University of Birmingham. 

Contact Details

e.west@bham.ac.uk