John Ruskin 
Inaugural Lecture 

‘Inaugural Lecture’ is a lecture on art delivered before the University of Oxford by John Ruskin, author, poet and artist, best known for his work as an art critic and social critic. Ruskin was unanimously appointed the first Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University in August 1869. He delivered his inaugural lecture on his 51st birthday in 1870, at the Sheldonian Theatre. Highlight of the address is his claim that ‘the art of any country is the exponent of its social and political virtues.’