John Atkinson Grimshaw: Painter of Moonlight

Known for his city night-scenes and landscapes, John Atkinson Grimshaw was a Victorian artist described by British art historian Christopher Wood as a “remarkable and imaginative painter”.

Hailing from Leeds in England, Grimshaw’s first job was as a clerk for Great Northern Railway.

Much to the dismay of his parents, he left the job at age 24 to pursue a career as a painter.

John Atkinson Grimshaw and the Great Northern Railway
John Atkinson Grimshaw and the Great Northern Railway

Leaving a steady job with a growing industry must have seemed foolhardy, but Grimshaw’s passion and talent for art were all he needed to make a success of his life.

Exhibiting for the first time just a year later under the patronage of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, he showed paintings of birds, fruit, and blossom.

It wasn’t until the 1870s that his career really took off.

Influenced primarily by the Pre-Raphaelites, he painted landscapes with precise use of colour and lighting, often focusing on the changing seasons or the weather to bring vivid detail and realism to his work.

But it is the moonlit views of cities and suburban streets, of Docklands in London, Hull, Liverpool, and Glasgow that he is best remembered for.

paintings of dampened gas-lit streets and misty waterfronts conveyed an eerie warmth as well as alienation in the urban scenePhilip J. Waller.

Sharply focused, almost photographic, Grimshaw poetically applied the tradition of rural moonlit scenes to the city, with its rain puddles, mists, and the smoky fog of late Victorian industrial England.

Grimshaw evokes the very feeling of chill in the night air or the damp of mists at dawn’s early light.

John Atkinson Grimshaw was the Painter of Moonlight.

London Bridge - Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
London Bridge – Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
Park Row, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Park Row, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Westminster Bridge by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Westminster Bridge by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Liverpool Quay by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
Liverpool Quay by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
The Gossips, Bonchurch, Isle of Wight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
The Gossips, Bonchurch, Isle of Wight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Hull Docks at Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Hull Docks at Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Evening Scene by the Docks, Hull by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Evening Scene by the Docks, Hull by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Burning Off, a Fishing Boat at Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
Burning Off, a Fishing Boat at Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
On the Clyde, Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
On the Clyde, Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
Lights in the Harbour, Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
Lights in the Harbour, Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
Moonlight on Lake by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Moonlight on Lake by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Liverpool Docks attributed to John Atkinson Grimshaw
Liverpool Docks attributed to John Atkinson Grimshaw
Bonchurch, the Isle of Wight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Bonchurch, the Isle of Wight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Night Vigil by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Night Vigil by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Liverpool from Wapping by John A Grimshaw, 1875
Liverpool from Wapping by John A Grimshaw, 1875
A moonlit street after rain by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
A moonlit street after rain by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Blackman Street, Borough, London by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1885
Blackman Street, Borough, London by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1885
Hampstead by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Hampstead by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Glasgow, Saturday Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Glasgow, Saturday Night by John Atkinson Grimshaw
A Moonlit Landscape by John Atkinson Grimshaw
A Moonlit Landscape by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Humber Docks Hull, John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
Humber Docks Hull, John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
A Yorkshire Home by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
A Yorkshire Home by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Nightfall down the Thames by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Nightfall down the Thames by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Street after the Rain in the Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Street after the Rain in the Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Glasgow Docks by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Glasgow Docks by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
The Thames by Moonlight with Southwark Bridge, London by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
The Thames by Moonlight with Southwark Bridge, London by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
The Old Hall Under Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw
The Old Hall Under Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Figure Overlooking Waterloo Lake, Rounday Park, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1872
Figure Overlooking Waterloo Lake, Rounday Park, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1872
Old Chelsea by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Old Chelsea by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Near Hackness, a moonlit scene with pine trees by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1875
Near Hackness, a moonlit scene with pine trees by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1875
Canny Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
Canny Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
Heath Street, Hampstead by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Heath Street, Hampstead by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Street after the Rain in the Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Street after the Rain in the Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Whitby by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Whitby by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Under the Moonbeams by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
Under the Moonbeams by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1887
The Broomielaw Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1889
The Broomielaw Glasgow by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1889
Forge Valley, near Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1875
Forge Valley, near Scarborough by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1875
Whitby, from the East Side by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
Whitby, from the East Side by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
Heaven's Lamp by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1886
Heaven’s Lamp by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1886
Lovers in a Wood by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1873
Lovers in a Wood by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1873
The Lovers by John Atkinson Grimshaw
The Lovers by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Briggate, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Briggate, Leeds by John Atkinson Grimshaw
A moonlit country road by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
A moonlit country road by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
Reflections on the Thames, Westminster by Grimshaw, John Atkinson, 1879
Reflections on the Thames, Westminster by Grimshaw, John Atkinson, 1879
The Tryst by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1886
The Tryst by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1886
At the Park Gate by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
At the Park Gate by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Full Moon behind Cirrus Cloud from the Rounday Park Castle Battlements by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1872
Full Moon behind Cirrus Cloud from the Rounday Park Castle Battlements by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1872
Home Again by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
Home Again by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1877
November by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
November by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1879
Scarborough by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1876
Scarborough by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1876
Boar Lane, Leeds by Lamplight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Boar Lane, Leeds by Lamplight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881
Whitby Harbor by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1862
Whitby Harbor by Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1862
Moonlight, Wharfedale by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Moonlight, Wharfedale by John Atkinson Grimshaw
Silver Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Silver Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
London Bridge - Half Tide by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
London Bridge – Half Tide by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
A Moonlit Evening by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
A Moonlit Evening by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Harbor Scene by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Harbor Scene by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1878
Greenwich, Half Tide by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
Greenwich, Half Tide by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1884
The Custom House, Liverpool, Looking South by John Atkinson Grimshaw , 1890
The Custom House, Liverpool, Looking South by John Atkinson Grimshaw , 1890
Gloucester Docks by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1890
Gloucester Docks by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1890
Thames Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Thames Moonlight by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Nightfall down the Thames by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Nightfall down the Thames by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Southwark Bridge and St. Paul's by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1883
Southwark Bridge and St. Paul’s by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1883
A Moonlit Lane by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1874
A Moonlit Lane by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1874

The Art of Autumn

Autumn is a time of contemplation.

A time to reflect on the changing of the seasons from growth to decay.

Each year is a cycle of life that repeats.

Mother Nature bears the fruits of her labor, celebrating life in a festival of colour before the long winter months set in.

It’s as if nature is reminding us that life is to be enjoyed, that there is so much to be grateful for, and that we can look forward to renewal again in the spring.

Artists through the centuries have been inspired by the beauty and melancholy of autumn.

Here are 40 beautiful paintings of the season of red and gold along with quotes from poets and writers.

Autumn Regrets by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Autumn Regrets by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1882
Autumn in Cornwall by Walter Elmer Schofield (1869 - 1944)
Autumn in Cornwall by Walter Elmer Schofield (1869 – 1944)
And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question ‘Whither?’
Robert Frost, The Poetry of Robert Frost
Setting Sun, Autumn in Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Setting Sun, Autumn in Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Autumn Festival by Willard Leroy Metcalf, 1915
Autumn Festival by Willard Leroy Metcalf, 1915
Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.George Eliot
Autumnal Forest with Houses by Walter Moras (1856 - 1925)
Autumnal Forest with Houses by Walter Moras (1856 – 1925)
The Sussex lanes were very lovely in the autumn . . . spendthrift gold and glory of the year-end . . . earth scents and the sky winds and all the magic of the countryside which is ordained for the healing of the soul.Monica Baldwin
A Country Road in Autumn by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1918
A Country Road in Autumn by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1918
There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!Percy Bysshe Shelley
Autumn Sunlight by John F. Carlson (1875 - 1945)
Autumn Sunlight by John F. Carlson (1875 – 1945)
Autumn by Stanislav Zhukovsky (1873 - 1944)
Autumn by Stanislav Zhukovsky (1873 – 1944)
Autumn Days
Yellow, mellow, ripened days,
Sheltered in a golden coating;
O’er the dreamy, listless haze,
White and dainty cloudlets floating;
Winking at the blushing trees,
And the sombre, furrowed fallow;
Smiling at the airy ease,
Of the southward flying swallow.
Sweet and smiling are thy ways,
Beauteous, golden Autumn days.
Will Carleton
Autumn in Gloucestershire by Alfred East (1844 - 1913)
Autumn in Gloucestershire by Alfred East (1844 – 1913)
Autumn Gold by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Autumn Gold by John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1880
Autumn wins you best by this its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay.Robert Browning
A Woodland Path in Autumn by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1918
A Woodland Path in Autumn by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1918
Autumn Colouring by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1894
Autumn Colouring by Edward Wilkins Waite, 1894
You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen.Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
Autumn Alley by Johan Krouthén, 1917
Autumn Alley by Johan Krouthén, 1917
I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks
Autumn in Pavlovsk by Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, 1888
Autumn in Pavlovsk by Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, 1888
Late Autumn by Robert Vonnoh (1858 - 1933)
Late Autumn by Robert Vonnoh (1858 – 1933)
Autumn Day, Sokolniki by Isaak Levitan, 1879
Autumn Day, Sokolniki by Isaak Levitan, 1879
Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn–that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness–that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.Jane Austen, Persuasion
Autumn on the River by Julian Alden Weir, 1906
Autumn on the River by Julian Alden Weir, 1906
The tints of autumn…a mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of the enchanter, frost.John Greenleaf Whittier
Autumn on the River by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1877
Autumn on the River by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1877
Autumn Poplars by Camille Pissarro, 1893
Autumn Poplars by Camille Pissarro, 1893
It was one of those days you sometimes get latish in the autumn when the sun beams, the birds toot, and there is a bracing tang in the air that sends the blood beetling briskly through the veins.P.G. Wodehouse
Cresheim Glen, Wissahickon, Autumn by Thomas Moran, 1864
Cresheim Glen, Wissahickon, Autumn by Thomas Moran, 1864
Along the woods in Autumn by Alfred Sisley, 1885
Along the woods in Autumn by Alfred Sisley, 1885
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run
John Keats, Complete Poems and Selected Letters
Autumn Effect at Argenteuil by Claude Monet, 1873
Autumn Effect at Argenteuil by Claude Monet, 1873
Autumn Leaves by William McTaggart (1835 - 1910)
Autumn Leaves by William McTaggart (1835 – 1910)
Just as a painter needs light in order to put the finishing touches to his picture, so I need an inner light, which I feel I never have enough of in the autumn.Leo Tolstoy
Alley in Autumn by Walter Moras (1856 - 1925)
Alley in Autumn by Walter Moras (1856 – 1925)
The Water's Edge by William M. Hart, 1881
The Water’s Edge by William M. Hart, 1881
Give me juicy autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard,Walt Whitman, The Complete Poems
Autumn in Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Autumn in Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
All-cheering Plenty, with her flowing horn, Led yellow Autumn, wreath’d with nodding corn.Robert Burns, Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns
Autumn on the Farm by Charles Harold Davis (1856 - 1933)
Autumn on the Farm by Charles Harold Davis (1856 – 1933)
Such days of autumnal decline hold a strange mystery which adds to the gravity of all our moods.Charles Nodier, Smarra & Trilby
Edge of a Forest in Autumn by Alfred Sisley, 1883
Edge of a Forest in Autumn by Alfred Sisley, 1883
New England Autumn Landscape by John Joseph Enneking, 1894
New England Autumn Landscape by John Joseph Enneking, 1894
The goldenrod is yellow,
The corn is turning brown…
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.
Helen Hunt Jackson
Autumn Evening by Ferdinand Hodler, 1893
Autumn Evening by Ferdinand Hodler, 1893
The gold and scarlet leaves that littered the countryside in great drifts whispered and chuckled among themselves, or took experimental runs from place to place, rolling like coloured hoops among the trees.Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals
Burnham Beeches by Myles Birket Foster (1825 - 1899)
Burnham Beeches by Myles Birket Foster (1825 – 1899)
The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Christabel
Autumn Roadside, Kentucky by William Forsyth, 1903
Autumn Roadside, Kentucky by William Forsyth, 1903
the fallen leaves in the forest seemed to make even the ground glow and burn with lightMalcolm Lowry, October Ferry To Gabriola
Autumn Leaves by John Singer Sargent, 1913
Autumn Leaves by John Singer Sargent, 1913
Every season hath its pleasures;
Spring may boast her flowery prime,
Yet the vineyard’s ruby treasures
Brighten Autumn’s sob’rer time.
Thomas Moore
Autumn Landscape by Charles Courtney Curran, 1928
Autumn Landscape by Charles Courtney Curran, 1928
Autumn Tints by Maurice Braun (1877 - 1941)
Autumn Tints by Maurice Braun (1877 – 1941)
In Heaven, it is always AutumnJohn Donne
The Arc de Triomphe, Autumn Effect by Jean-François Raffaëlli, 1907
The Arc de Triomphe, Autumn Effect by Jean-François Raffaëlli, 1907
Autumn Landscape by Paul Madeline, 1905
Autumn Landscape by Paul Madeline, 1905
Methinks I see the sunset light flooding the river valley, the western hills stretching to the horizon, overhung with trees gorgeous and glowing with the tints of autumn — a mighty flower garden blossoming under the spell of the enchanter, frost.John Greenleaf Whittier, Tales and Sketches
A Late Autumn Day in Dyrehaven, Sunshine by Theodor Philipsen, 1886
A Late Autumn Day in Dyrehaven, Sunshine by Theodor Philipsen, 1886
The leaves were more gorgeous than ever; the first touch of frost would lay them all low to the ground. Already one or two kept constantly floating down, amber and golden in the low slanting sun-raysElizabeth Gaskell, North and South
.

The Bridge at Argenteuil in Autumn by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
The Bridge at Argenteuil in Autumn by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
And every year there is a brief, startling moment
When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and
Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless
Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air:
It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies;
It is the changing light of fall falling on us.
Edward Hirsch, Wild Gratitude
A Wooded Path In Autumn by Hans Andersen Brendekilde (1857 - 1942)
A Wooded Path In Autumn by Hans Andersen Brendekilde (1857 – 1942)

Renoir: an Impression of Beauty

Famed for his paintings of bustling 19th-century Parisian life, pretty women and sensual nudes, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s eye for beauty captured the day’s fashions and scenes of contented domestic bliss.

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Celebrated as a colorist, Renoir (1841 – 1919) was masterful at capturing the interplay of light and shadow as seen in the dappled sunlight of dancers at the Moulin de la Galette.

In the 19th century, Le Moulin de la Galette was a pleasant diversion for Parisians seeking entertainment, a glass of wine and bread made from flour ground by the famous windmill of the same name.

Bal du moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.Pierre Auguste Renoir
Click here to learn more about Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Painting for two months in the summer of 1869 at a boating and bathing complex outside Paris called La Grenouillère, Renoir and his friend Claude Monet captured the effects of the sun streaming through the trees on the rippling water.

La Grenouillere by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1869
La Grenouillere by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1869

Using broad, loose brushstrokes in a sketch-like technique and a brightened palette, they developed what would become known as the Impressionist aesthetic.

La Grenouillere by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1869
La Grenouillere by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1869

Organized with the help of friends Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, and Camille Pissarro, Renoir and Monet held exhibitions dedicated to Impressionism as a means to bypass the strict tradition of the more conservative Salon de Paris—the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Although a founding member of the Impressionist movement, Renoir ceased to exhibit after 1877.

His love of portraiture and images of well-dressed Parisian pleasure seekers created a bridge from Impressionism’s more experimental aims to a modern, middle-class art public.

The Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1877
The Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1877

On a trip to Italy in 1881, Renoir became enamored with the “grandeur and simplicity” of High Renaissance artists like Raphael and his figures consequently became more crisply drawn and sculptural in character.

The Artist's Family by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1896
The Artist’s Family by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1896

Integrating more line and composition into his more mature works, Renoir created some of his era’s most timeless canvases.

Dance at Bougival by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883
Dance at Bougival by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883

Painting dozens of nudes, Renoir specialized in marble-like figures against quickly improvised impressionistic backgrounds.

Bather by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1893
Bather by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1893

Renoir’s combination of modernity and tradition was highly influential on the next generation of artists including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Maurice Denis.

Join us as we celebrate Renoir accompanied by the music of Chopin.

Young Girls at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1892
Young Girls at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1892
Woman with a Parasol in a Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
Woman with a Parasol in a Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
The Two Sisters, On the Terrace by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
The Two Sisters, On the Terrace by Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Picking Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
Picking Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
Young Woman with a Japanese Umbrella by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Young Woman with a Japanese Umbrella by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Place de la Trinite, Paris by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
Place de la Trinite, Paris by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
At the Concert by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
At the Concert by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
Claude Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
Claude Monet Painting in His Garden at Argenteuil by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
Bougival by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1888
Bougival by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1888
The Swing by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876
The Swing by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876
Cagnes Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1910
Cagnes Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1910
Noirmoutiers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1892
Noirmoutiers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1892
Woman with a Black Dog by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1874
Woman with a Black Dog by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1874
The Port of Pornic by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
The Port of Pornic by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
Sunny Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
Sunny Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
The Harvesters by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
The Harvesters by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1873
The Covered Lane by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
The Covered Lane by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
The Children of Martial Caillebotte by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1895
The Children of Martial Caillebotte by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1895
Geraniums in a Copper Basin by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
Geraniums in a Copper Basin by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
Landscape at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1908
Landscape at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1908
Le Pont-Neuf, Paris by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
Le Pont-Neuf, Paris by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
The Theater Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874
The Theater Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874
The Farm by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1914
The Farm by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1914
Basket of Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir - 1890
Basket of Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir – 1890
The Lovers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
The Lovers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
Chapel of Our Lady of Protection, Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1905
Chapel of Our Lady of Protection, Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1905
A Cup of Tea in the Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1907
A Cup of Tea in the Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1907
Houses at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1905
Houses at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1905
The Fountain by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1885
The Fountain by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1885
Chrysanthemums by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1878
Chrysanthemums by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1878
Among the Roses by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
Among the Roses by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
Flowers in a Vase by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
Flowers in a Vase by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
Cagnes Landscape with Woman and Child by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1910
Cagnes Landscape with Woman and Child by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1910
The Fisherman by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1874
The Fisherman by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1874
Girls with Lilacs by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
Girls with Lilacs by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
The Great Boulevards by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
The Great Boulevards by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
The Terrace at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1908
The Terrace at Cagnes by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1908
Country Dance by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1883
Country Dance by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1883
Bouquet of Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1878
Bouquet of Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1878
The Canoeist's Luncheon by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
The Canoeist’s Luncheon by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1880
Head of a Little Girl by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1900
Head of a Little Girl by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1900
Oarsmen at Chatou by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1879
Oarsmen at Chatou by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1879
Madame Chocquet Reading by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Madame Chocquet Reading by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Girl Gathering Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
Girl Gathering Flowers by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1872
The Seine at Chatou by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1881
The Seine at Chatou by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1881
Spring Bouquet by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
Spring Bouquet by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
Algerian Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir
Algerian Landscape by Pierre Auguste Renoir
The Piazza San Marco, Venice by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1881
The Piazza San Marco, Venice by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1881
Place de la Trinite by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
Place de la Trinite by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875
The Seine at Asnieres by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1879
The Seine at Asnieres by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1879
Vase of Chrysanthemums by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
Vase of Chrysanthemums by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1882
Garden Scene in Brittany by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1886
Garden Scene in Brittany by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1886
Young Woman in Red in the Fields by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1900
Young Woman in Red in the Fields by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1900
Madame Renoir and Her Son Pierre by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
Madame Renoir and Her Son Pierre by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1890
Under the Arbor at the Moulin de la Galette by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Under the Arbor at the Moulin de la Galette by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
In St Cloud Park by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
In St Cloud Park by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1866
Girl with a Watering Can by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Girl with a Watering Can by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Children by the Sea by Pierre Auguste Renoir - 1894
Children by the Sea by Pierre Auguste Renoir – 1894
Nini in the Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Nini in the Garden by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1876
Mlle Charlotte Berthier by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1883
Mlle Charlotte Berthier by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1883

Francois Flameng: Interpreter of Beauty

Beautiful places, beautiful people, beautiful clothes—Francois Flameng loved to paint them all.

Born in an art studio in Paris in 1856, Flameng may have known from an early age that he was destined to be an artist.

Indeed, in many ways, he had everything going for him.

Paris was the center of the art world and his father was a celebrated engraver who had once wished to be a painter.

All of his father’s regrets were channeled into making his son a success.

Specializing in history painting and portraiture, Francois Flameng became a professor at the Académie des Beaux-Arts—the premier institution of fine art in France.

If you’d like to add a little atmosphere as we view a gallery of Flameng’s work, press play.

Napoleon I and the King of Rome at Saint-Cloud in 1811 by Francois Flameng
Napoleon I and the King of Rome at Saint-Cloud in 1811 by Francois Flameng
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna by Francois Flameng, 1898
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna by Francois Flameng, 1898

Many of his studies in Italy are rich in architectural detail in the most vivid light and color.

The Carnival in Venice by Francois Flameng
The Carnival in Venice by Francois Flameng
Ile Pointeaux by Francois Flameng
Ile Pointeaux by Francois Flameng
Equestrienne Au Cirque Fernando by Francois Flameng - c. 1890
Equestrienne Au Cirque Fernando by Francois Flameng – c. 1890
Intelligence by Francois Flameng
Intelligence by Francois Flameng
Reception at Malmaison in 1802 by Francois Flameng, c.1894
Reception at Malmaison in 1802 by Francois Flameng, c.1894
A Concert in Versailles by Francois Flameng
A Concert in Versailles by Francois Flameng
Napoleon I and the King of Rome at Saint-Cloud by Francois Flameng, 1896
Napoleon I and the King of Rome at Saint-Cloud by Francois Flameng, 1896
Portrait of a Lady by Francois Flameng
Portrait of a Lady by Francois Flameng

Flameng would often use a camera lucida to create an optical superimposition of his subject.

Allowing him to duplicate key points of the scene on the drawing surface, it would aid in the accurate rendering of perspective.

How a camera lucida device is used to help with drawing composition
How a camera lucida device is used to help with drawing composition

Once he had the sketch to ensure proportion and perspective were correct, he would paint rapidly yet with such fine detail that within an hour he had what took most artists four hours to complete.

Princess Zinaida Yusupova with her sons Felix and Nikolai at Arkhangelskoye by Francois Flameng - 1894
Princess Zinaida Yusupova with her sons Felix and Nikolai at Arkhangelskoye by Francois Flameng – 1894
Mrs Adeline M. Noble by Francois Flameng
Mrs Adeline M. Noble by Francois Flameng
Napoleon I hunting in the Forest of Fontainebleau, 1807 by Francois Flameng
Napoleon I hunting in the Forest of Fontainebleau, 1807 by Francois Flameng
An Elite Soldier of the Imperial Guard by Francois Flameng
An Elite Soldier of the Imperial Guard by Francois Flameng
I have always thought that portraits ought to be arranged as pictures.Francois Flameng

Flameng said that fashions and hairstyles changed so often that the exact likeness captured in a portrait was gone within a few short years.

Therefore, he said, portraits should aim to be pleasant works of art that one would purchase to adorn the wall of a drawing room, even if it were not a portrait of one’s own image.

Zinaida Yusupova with the famous Yusupov family La Pelegrina pearl by Francois Flameng - 1894
Zinaida Yusupova with the famous Yusupov family La Pelegrina pearl by Francois Flameng – 1894
Maria Fedorovna by Francois Flameng, 1894
Maria Fedorovna by Francois Flameng, 1894

Flameng found that he learned as much about the social aspects of his work as he did the actual practicing of his art.

Making sittings more agreeable for models he had to learn their tastes and habits, likes and dislikes.

That way, he could encourage them to pose in ways that reflected their personality and remain in one position for a long time without noticing it as much.

Portrait of the Duchess Dora Leichtenberg by Francois Flameng - 1896
Portrait of the Duchess Dora Leichtenberg by Francois Flameng – 1896

Of equal importance to remaining true to his artistic integrity was producing a work that was pleasing to the subject and also to her friends and acquaintances.

Portrait of Mme D by Francois Flameng - 1911
Portrait of Mme D by Francois Flameng – 1911

When subjects disagreed with his choice of arrangement or style of composition, he would use all his skill to gradually encourage her to see his point of view without contradicting or offending, always admitting she was right, but gently helping her drop her own preconceived mental image.

Family Portrait of a Boy and his two Sisters admiring a Sketch Book by Francois Flameng, 1900
Family Portrait of a Boy and his two Sisters admiring a Sketch Book by Francois Flameng, 1900
The Chess Game by Francois Flameng
The Chess Game by Francois Flameng
The People of Paris Come to Versailles by Francois Flameng
The People of Paris Come to Versailles by Francois Flameng
Offizier des Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments of the Napoleonic Imperial Guard by Francois Flameng
Offizier des Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments of the Napoleonic Imperial Guard by Francois Flameng
Portrait of Madame Max Decougis by Francois Flameng
Portrait of Madame Max Decougis by Francois Flameng
Even the ordinary woman is a thousand times more worthwhile to paint than the ordinary man. But women are never ordinary.Francois Flameng
Portrait of a Lady by Francois Flameng
Portrait of a Lady by Francois Flameng

Flameng painted the colors and pageantry of war.

But he was no stranger to its violence.

At age 14, he was playing with fellow students at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, when a bombshell exploded in the courtyard.

It was a gift from the Prussians to mark the onset of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and it prompted him to enlist.

Accepted in the ambulance corps, when Paris fell to the Prussians, he saw seven children killed under the window of his father’s house in Montparnasse.

Napoleon and his staff reviewing the mounted chasseurs of the Imperial Guard by Francois Flameng
In the Woods by Francois Flameng
In the Woods by Francois Flameng
A portrait painter should not only be endowed with talent, but also possess the qualities of a philosopher, of an observer, of a psychologist, and be provided with inexhaustible patience.Francois Flameng
Lady Duveen, née Salamon by Francois Flameng, 1910
Lady Duveen, née Salamon by Francois Flameng, 1910
Portrait Of Mademoiselle Herpin by Francois Flameng - 1908
Portrait Of Mademoiselle Herpin by Francois Flameng – 1908
Picnic by Francois Flameng
Picnic by Francois Flameng
Evening by Francois Flameng
Evening by Francois Flameng
Napoleon After The Battle Of Waterloo by Francois Flameng
Napoleon After The Battle Of Waterloo by Francois Flameng
Portrait of a mother with her children in the garden by Francois Flameng
Portrait of a mother with her children in the garden by Francois Flameng
An Evening's Entertainment for Josephine by Francois Flameng
An Evening’s Entertainment for Josephine by Francois Flameng

Francois Flameng didn’t only paint beauty.

Renowned for his paintings that showed some of the horrors of the First World War, he was an accredited documenter for the War Ministry and named honorary president of the Society of Military Painters.

Flameng’s war paintings were derided by many critics for being too realistic and not including heroic drama.

World War I by François Flameng
World War I by François Flameng
The offensive of the Yser, First French line near Het-Sas, by François Flameng
The offensive of the Yser, First French line near Het-Sas, by François Flameng
World War I Attack by François Flameng
World War I Attack by François Flameng

The Light that Inspired the Skagen Painters

Skagen is a village in the northernmost part of Denmark.

From the late 1870s until the turn of the century, a group of Scandinavian artists descended on Skagen every summer.

It was the light that drew them.

A translucent light that merged the sea and the sky—especially during the evening “blue hour”.

Influenced by the “en plein air” techniques of French Impressionist painters like Claude Monet, they broke away from traditions taught at the academies and developed their own unique styles.

The long beaches stretched for miles and miles …

Listen to Claude Debussy’s haunting Clair de Lune as we travel back in time to late 19th-century Skagen through the eyes of the Skagen Painters.

Summer Evening at Skagen Beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1899
Summer Evening at Skagen Beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1899
Summer Evening on Skagen's Southern Beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1893
Summer Evening on Skagen’s Southern Beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1893
Nor moon nor stars were out.
They did not dare to tread so soon about,
Though trembling, in the footsteps of the sun.
The light was neither night’s nor day’s, but one
Which, life-like, had a beauty in its doubt;
And Silence’s impassioned breathings round
Seemed wandering into sound.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Sea-Side Walk
Summer evening at the South Beach, Skagen by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1893
Summer evening at the South Beach, Skagen by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1893
Skagen by Michael Peter Ancher, c.1900
Skagen by Michael Peter Ancher, c.1900
Summer evening on the south Beach of Skagen by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1897
Summer evening on the south Beach of Skagen by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1897
The Skagen Beach by Oscar Gustaf Bjorck, 1882
The Skagen Beach by Oscar Gustaf Bjorck, 1882
Summer Day at Skagen South Beach by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1884
Summer Day at Skagen South Beach by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1884
Boat at Skagen's South Beach by Oscar Gustaf Bjorck, 1884
Boat at Skagen’s South Beach by Oscar Gustaf Bjorck, 1884
I have loved hours at sea, gray cities,
The fragile secret of a flower,
Music, the making of a poem
That gave me heaven for an hour
Sara Teasdale, I Have Loved Hours At Sea
A Stroll on the Beach by Michael Ancher, 1896
A Stroll on the Beach by Michael Ancher, 1896

Rendering light with paint in such a way that it makes you feel you are there and you need to squint at the sun’s reflections on the water.

Artists on the Beach by Peder Severin Kroyer, 1882
Artists on the Beach by Peder Severin Kroyer, 1882
The North Sea in Stormy Weather. After Sunset by Laurits Tuxen, 1909
The North Sea in Stormy Weather. After Sunset by Laurits Tuxen, 1909

One of the shared interests of the Skagen painters was to paint scenes of their own social gatherings—eating together, celebrating, or playing cards.

At Lunch by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1883
At Lunch by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1883

As if you could reach out and touch them, Krøyer’s characters are full of movement, full of life.

A breakfast. The artist, his wife and the writer Otto Benzon by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1893
A breakfast. The artist, his wife and the writer Otto Benzon by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1893

The group gathered together regularly at the Brøndums Inn in Skagen, which still operates as a hotel today.

Filled with the paintings the artists donated to cover the cost of board and lodging, the Brøndums’ dining-room became the center of their social life.

The dining room from Branden's hotel, Skagen Museum. Credit Bengt Oberger
The dining room from Branden’s hotel, Skagen Museum. Credit Bengt Oberger

Can you feel the excitement in the air and hear the clinking of glasses?

Hip, Hip, Hurrah! by P.S. Krøyer, 1888
Hip, Hip, Hurrah! by P.S. Krøyer, 1888
The Actor's Lunch, Skagen by Michael Peter Ancher, 1902
The Actor’s Lunch, Skagen by Michael Peter Ancher, 1902
An Artists' Gathering by Viggo Johansen, 1903
An Artists’ Gathering by Viggo Johansen, 1903

Deep in concentration, an after-dinner game of cards continues into the small hours.

A game of l'hombre in Brøndums Hotel by Anna Palm de Rosa, 1885
A game of l’hombre in Brøndums Hotel by Anna Palm de Rosa, 1885

Many of the Skagen painters are depicted here enjoying Midsummer Eve celebrations on Skagen beach around a bonfire, traditionally lit to ward off evil spirits believed to roam freely when the sun turned southward again.

The painting includes Peder Severin Krøyer’s daughter Vibeke, mayor Otto Schwartz and his wife Alba Schwartz, Michael Ancher, Degn Brøndum, Anna Ancher, Holger Drachmann and his 3rd wife Soffi, the Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén and Marie Krøyer.

Midsummer Eve bonfire on Skagen's beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1906
Midsummer Eve bonfire on Skagen’s beach by P.S. Krøyer, 1906

Anna Ancher was the only one of the Skagen Painters to be born and grow up in Skagen.

Her father owned the Brøndums Hotel where the artists stayed during the summer months and she married Michael Ancher, one of the first members of the Skagen colony of artists.

Expressing a more truthful depiction of reality and everyday life, she was a pioneer in observing the interplay of color and natural light.

Harvesters by Anna Ancher, 1905
Harvesters by Anna Ancher, 1905
Harvest Time by Anna Ancher, 1901
Harvest Time by Anna Ancher, 1901
Sewing Fisherman's Wife by Anna Ancher, 1890
Sewing Fisherman’s Wife by Anna Ancher, 1890
They love the sea,
Men who ride on it
And know they will die
Under the salt of it
Carl Sandburg, Young Sea

Combining realism and classical composition, Michael Ancher painted heroic fishermen and their experiences at sea.

Becoming known as monumental figurative art, his strict training at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts was tempered by his wife Anna’s more naturalistic approach.

Painted in 1885, Michael Ancher’s ‘Will He Round the Point?” (below) earned him and the Skagen colony particular attention since it was sold to King Christian IX of Denmark.

Will He Round the Point by Michael Ancher, 1885
Will He Round the Point by Michael Ancher, 1885
Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
The Boat is Set in the Sea by Oscar Björck, 1885
The Boat is Set in the Sea by Oscar Björck, 1885
The lifeboat is driven through the dunes by Michael Ancher, 1883
The lifeboat is driven through the dunes by Michael Ancher, 1883
Fishermen on the Beach on a Quiet Summer Evening by Michael Ancher, 1888
Fishermen on the Beach on a Quiet Summer Evening by Michael Ancher, 1888

Life was hard.

A fisherman’s life was not an easy one.

Better to die surrounded by people who would give their life for you.

That’s what close-knit communities were made of.

The Drowned Fisherman by Michael Peter Ancher, 1896
The Drowned Fisherman by Michael Peter Ancher, 1896
Fishermen at Skagen by Peder Severin Kroyer, 1894
Fishermen at Skagen by Peder Severin Kroyer, 1894
Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with that there is Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
Fishermen on the Beach at Skagen byPeder Severin Kroyer, 1891
Fishermen on the Beach at Skagen byPeder Severin Kroyer, 1891

The Skagen artists also painted each other and their children going about everyday aspects of life—collecting flowers, walking the dog, reading in the shade of the garden or inside the house, meal times with the children, and saying prayers before bed.

Anna Ancher returning from the field by Michael Ancher, 1901
Anna Ancher returning from the field by Michael Ancher, 1901
Portrait of my wife. The painter Anna Ancher by Michael Ancher, 1883
Portrait of my wife. The painter Anna Ancher by Michael Ancher, 1883
Summer Evening at Skagen. The Artist's Wife and Dog by the Shore by P.S. Krøyer, 1892
Summer Evening at Skagen. The Artist’s Wife and Dog by the Shore by P.S. Krøyer, 1892
Roses by P.S. Krøyer, 1893
Roses by P.S. Krøyer, 1893
Interior with poppies and a woman reading by Anna Ancher, 1905
Interior with poppies and a woman reading by Anna Ancher, 1905
Living room with light blue curtains and blue Clematis, 1913
Living room with light blue curtains and blue Clematis, 1913
Midday Meal in the Garden by Anna Ancher, 1915
Midday Meal in the Garden by Anna Ancher, 1915
The Benzon daughters by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1897
The Benzon daughters by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1897
Evening Prayer by Anna Ancher, 1888
Evening Prayer by Anna Ancher, 1888

The Language of Flowers – the secret Victorian love code

For Victorians, flowers were the language of love.

Proclaiming feelings in public was considered socially taboo, so the Victorians expressed intimacy through flowers.

Myriad market stalls and street sellers sprang up to cater to the Victorians’ need to communicate covertly.

Learning the particular meanings and symbolism assigned to each flower gave Victorians a way to play the subtle game of courtship in secret.

The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
The Lower Market, Paris by Victor Gabriel Gilbert, 1881
The Lower Market, Paris by Victor Gabriel Gilbert, 1881
The Flower Seller, Avenue de L'Opera, Paris by Louis Marie de Schryver, 1891
The Flower Seller, Avenue de L’Opera, Paris by Louis Marie de Schryver, 1891
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Flower Vendor on the Grandes Boulevards, Paris by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Flower Vendor on the Grandes Boulevards, Paris by Victor Gabriel Gilbert

Coded into gifts of blooms, plants, and floral arrangements were specific messages for the recipient, expressing feelings that were improper to say in Victorian society.

The Bunch of Lilacs by James Tissot, 1875
The Bunch of Lilacs by James Tissot, 1875

Alongside the language of flowers was a growing interest in botany.

Housing exotic and rare plants, conservatories enjoyed a golden age during the Victorian era, while floral designs dominated interior decoration.

Dora laughing held the dog up childishly to smell the flowers by George Goodwin Kilburne, 1874
Dora laughing held the dog up childishly to smell the flowers by George Goodwin Kilburne, 1874

Dedicated to the “language of flowers” were hundreds of guide books, with most Victorian homes owning at least one.

Often lavishly illustrated, the books used verbal analogies, religious and literary sources, folkloric connections, and botanical attributes to derive the meanings associated with flowers.

Floral poetry and the language of flowers, 1877
Floral poetry and the language of flowers, 1877

The appearance or behavior of plants and flowers often influenced their coded meanings.

Plants sensitive to touch represented chastity, whereas the deep red rose symbolized the potency of romantic love.

Pink roses were less intense than red, white suggested virtue, and yellow meant friendship.

Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon
Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon
Young Girl with a Rose by Emile Vernon
Young Girl with a Rose by Emile Vernon
Lovers under a Blossom Tree by John Callcott Horsley (English, 1817 - 1903)
Lovers under a Blossom Tree by John Callcott Horsley (English, 1817 – 1903)

To express adoration, a suitor would send dwarf sunflowers.

Sun and Moon Flowers by George Dunlop Leslie, 1889
Sun and Moon Flowers by George Dunlop Leslie, 1889

Myrtle symbolized good luck and love in a marriage.

At her wedding in 1858, Princess Victoria, the eldest child of Queen Victoria, carried a sprig of myrtle taken from a bush planted from a cutting given to the Queen by her mother-in-law.

Thus began a tradition for royal brides to include myrtle in their bouquets.

In the royal wedding of 2011, Catherine Middleton included sprigs of myrtle from Victoria’s original plant in her own wedding bouquet.

The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip
The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip

Displaying small “talking bouquets” or “posies” of meaningful flowers called nosegays or tussie-mussies became popular.

The Posy by Edward Killingworth Johnson
The Posy by Edward Killingworth Johnson

Decorative “posy holders” with rings or pins allowed them to be worn and displayed by their owners.

1854 Bouquet holders. metmuseum
1854 Bouquet holders. metmuseum

Made from brass, copper, gold-gilt metal, silver, porcelain, glass, enamel, pearl, ivory, bone and straw, the holders often had intricate engravings and patterning.

19th century bouquet holders. metmuseum
19th century bouquet holders. metmuseum

Other Flower Meanings

BurdockImportunity. Touch me not.
Buttercup (Kingcup)Ingratitude. Childishness.
CamomileEnergy in adversity.
Carnation, StripedRefusal.
Chrysanthemum, WhiteTruth.
ColtsfootJustice.
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
CrocusAbuse not.
DaffodilRegard.
DaisyInnocence.
JasmineAmiability.
At the Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
At the Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
DandelionRustic oracle.
DogwoodDurability.
DragonwortHorror.
IvyFidelity. Marriage.
Flower Seller with Child by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Flower Seller with Child by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Everlasting PeaLasting pleasure.
ElderflowerZealousness.
FennelWorthy all praise. Strength.
Lemon BlossomsFidelity in love.
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
The Flower Market by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
FlytrapDeceit.
FoxgloveInsincerity.
AnemoneForsaken.
LavenderDistrust.
Flower offering to a child by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Flower offering to a child by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
MarigoldUneasiness.
HemlockYou will be my death.
HibiscusDelicate beauty.
HoneysuckleGenerous & devoted affection.
Flower Seller by Victor Gabriel Gilbert
Flower Seller by Victor Gabriel Gilbert

Who will buy?

The film versions of Oliver! and My Fair Lady made the London flower sellers famous, but their life was far harsher than their Hollywood depictions.

So high was the demand for flowers that it created many opportunities for street traders and the exploitation of child labour.

Victorian social researcher Henry Mayhew wrote about flower sellers in his book London Labour and the London Poor, 1851—a groundbreaking and influential survey of the city’s poor:

Sunday is the best day for flower selling, and one experienced man computed, that in the height and pride of the summer four hundred children were selling flowers on Sundays in the streets. The trade is almost entirely in the hands of children, the girls outnumbering the boys by more than eight to one. The ages of the girls vary from six to twenty, few of the boys are older than twelve, and most of them are under ten. They are generally very persevering and will run along barefooted, with their, “Please, gentleman, do buy my flowers.  Poor little girl!” or “Please kind lady, buy my violets. O, do! please!  Poor little girl!   Do buy a bunch, please, kind lady!”

St Martin-in-the-Fields by William Logsdail, 1888
St Martin-in-the-Fields by William Logsdail, 1888

A Slice of American Life in a Gilded Age by William Merritt Chase

William Merritt Chase was an American painter who thrived during America’s Gilded Age.

He is best known for his portraits and landscapes in the impressionist “en plein air” (painted outdoors) style.

He captured the domestic comforts of his own family and the blissful lifestyle of some of the wealthy.

While working in the family business, Chase showed an early talent for art, studying under local, self-taught artists in Indianapolis, who urged him to further his studies at the National Academy in New York.

Declining family fortunes cut short his training and he left New York to join his family in St Louis—working to help support them, but continuing his art.

Catching the eye of wealthy St Louis art collectors, Chase was sent on an expense-paid trip to Europe in exchange for some of his paintings and help in procuring others for their collections.

As one of the finest centers for art training in Europe, Chase joined the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, where his figurative and impressionist loose brushwork began to shine.

Further travels in Italy rounded out his skills and he returned to the United States as one of a new wave of highly accomplished European-trained artists.

Seated, left to right: Edward Simmons, Willard L. Metcalf, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Robert Reid Standing, left to right: William Merritt Chase, Frank W. Benson, Edmund C. Tarbell, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Joseph DeCamp
Seated, left to right: Edward Simmons, Willard L. Metcalf, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Robert Reid Standing, left to right: William Merritt Chase, Frank W. Benson, Edmund C. Tarbell, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Joseph DeCamp

American statesman Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin once said of Chase’s style,

A noble sense of color is perceptible in all his works, whether in the subtle elusive tints of flesh, or in the powerful rendering of a mass of color. In the painting of a portrait he endeavors, sometimes very successfully, to seize character

Whether relaxing in the country, strolling in the park, playing with children at the beach, boating on a summer afternoon or simply contemplating life, his paintings show us a slice of American life at a beautiful time. A time tinted with gold. A Gilded Age.

Mrs Chase Playing the Piano by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Mrs Chase Playing the Piano by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Going to see Grandma by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Going to see Grandma by William Merritt Chase, 1889
The Actress Linda Dietz Carlton by William Merritt Chase, c.1879
The Actress Linda Dietz Carlton by William Merritt Chase, c.1879
Afternoon by the Sea by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Afternoon by the Sea by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Sketch for the Portrait of Mother and Child) by William Merritt Chase, c.1915
Sketch for the Portrait of Mother and Child) by William Merritt Chase, c.1915
Afternoon in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1887
Afternoon in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1887
Dorothy and Her Sister by William Merritt Chase, c.1900
Dorothy and Her Sister by William Merritt Chase, c.1900
Contemplation by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Contemplation by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Connoisseur - The Studio Corner by William Merritt Chase, c.1883
Connoisseur – The Studio Corner by William Merritt Chase, c.1883
Children Playing Parlor Croquet by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Children Playing Parlor Croquet by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Child with Prints by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
Child with Prints by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
Chase Homestead, Shinnecock by William Merritt Chase, c.1893
Chase Homestead, Shinnecock by William Merritt Chase, c.1893
Beach Scene - Morning at Canoe Place by William Merritt Chase, c.1896
Beach Scene – Morning at Canoe Place by William Merritt Chase, c.1896
In the Studio by William Merritt Chase, 1892
In the Studio by William Merritt Chase, 1892
An Afternoon Stroll by William Merritt Chase, 1895
An Afternoon Stroll by William Merritt Chase, 1895
Landscape Shinnecock, Long Island by William Merritt Chase, 1896
Landscape Shinnecock, Long Island by William Merritt Chase, 1896
Young Woman in Pink by William Merritt Chase , 1905
Young Woman in Pink by William Merritt Chase , 1905
Portrait of Miss Dorothy Chase by William Merritt Chase, c.1913
Portrait of Miss Dorothy Chase by William Merritt Chase, c.1913
Sunlight and Shadow in Prospect Park by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Sunlight and Shadow in Prospect Park by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Alice Dieudonnee Chase, Shinnecock Hills by William Merritt Chase, c.1901
Alice Dieudonnee Chase, Shinnecock Hills by William Merritt Chase, c.1901
The Sisters (also known as The Sisters - Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Oskar LIvingston; The Sisters - Mrs. Oskar Livingston and Mrs. James Francis Sullivan) by William Merritt Chase, 1905
The Sisters (also known as The Sisters – Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Oskar LIvingston; The Sisters – Mrs. Oskar Livingston and Mrs. James Francis Sullivan) by William Merritt Chase, 1905
Prospect Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Prospect Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Susan Watkins by William Merritt Chase, 1914
Susan Watkins by William Merritt Chase, 1914
Terrace at the Mall, Cantral Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Terrace at the Mall, Cantral Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Sunlight and Shadow by William Merritt Chase, 1884
Sunlight and Shadow by William Merritt Chase, 1884
Summertime by William Merritt Chase, 1886
Summertime by William Merritt Chase, 1886
The Song by William Merritt Chase, 1907
The Song by William Merritt Chase, 1907
Woman with a Large Hat by William Merritt Chase, 1904
Woman with a Large Hat by William Merritt Chase, 1904
Woman in Kimono Holding a Japanese Fan by William Merritt Chase
Woman in Kimono Holding a Japanese Fan by William Merritt Chase
William Launt Palmer by William Merritt Chase, 1887
William Launt Palmer by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Weary (also known as Who Rang) by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Weary (also known as Who Rang) by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Wash Day - A Back Yard Reminiscence of Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1886
Wash Day – A Back Yard Reminiscence of Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1886
Tompkins Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase,1887
Tompkins Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase,1887
Dr Benjamin Taylor by William Merritt Chase, 1902
Dr Benjamin Taylor by William Merritt Chase, 1902
Child on a Garden Walk by William Merritt Chase, 1888
Child on a Garden Walk by William Merritt Chase, 1888
The Blue Kimono by William Merritt Chase, 1898
The Blue Kimono by William Merritt Chase, 1898
Bessie Potter by William Merritt Chase, 1895
Bessie Potter by William Merritt Chase, 1895
Bank of a Lake in Central Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Bank of a Lake in Central Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
The Birthday Party by William Merritt Chase, 1902
The Birthday Party by William Merritt Chase, 1902
August B. Loeb, Esq by William Merritt Chase, 1905
August B. Loeb, Esq by William Merritt Chase, 1905
At the Shore by William Merritt Chase, 1886
At the Shore by William Merritt Chase, 1886
At the Seaside by William Merritt Chase, 1892
At the Seaside by William Merritt Chase, 1892
A Long Island Lake by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
A Long Island Lake by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
The Little Garden by William Merritt Chase, 1895
The Little Garden by William Merritt Chase, 1895
The Lake for Miniature Yachts by William Merritt Chase, 1890
The Lake for Miniature Yachts by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Lady in White by William Merritt Chase
Lady in White by William Merritt Chase
Lady in Pink by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Lady in Pink by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Girl at a Bureau by William Merritt Chase
Girl at a Bureau by William Merritt Chase
A Friendly Visit by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
A Friendly Visit by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
Friendly Advice by William Merritt Chase, 1913
Friendly Advice by William Merritt Chase, 1913
For the LIttle One (also known as Hall at Shinnecock) by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
For the LIttle One (also known as Hall at Shinnecock) by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
The Fairy Tale (also known as A Summer Day) by William Merritt Chase, c.1892
The Fairy Tale (also known as A Summer Day) by William Merritt Chase, c.1892
End of the Season by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
End of the Season by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
An Early Stroll in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
An Early Stroll in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
Afternoon Shadows by William Merritt Chase, c. 1897
Afternoon Shadows by William Merritt Chase, c. 1897

An Impression of Winter by Claude Monet

What impression do you have of winter?

Perhaps you’re a snowbird who escapes the cold for warmer climes.

Perhaps you’re a winter sports fan who loves nothing more than gliding down the slopes with the wind in your hair and the scenic beauty whizzing past.

Perhaps you love to snuggle up next to a roaring fire, hot drink in hand, watching the snow fall.

We all have a slightly different impression of winter depending on our perspective.

In 19th-century France, a group of artists led by Claude Monet made quite an impression on the art world.

They realized that how we see the world is not in all its detail, but as an “impression”, with our minds filling in the gaps.

Capturing this “impressionistic image” in paint was their specialty.

It gave them the opportunity to use color and light to convey those “fleeting moments” that stay with us as memories.

Monet loved the changing light of the seasons.

In his paintings of winter, we can feel the cold yet bask in the warmth of their beauty.

A feast for the senses. Food for the soul.

The Boulevard de Pontoise at Argenteuil, Snow Effect by Claude Monet - 1875
The Boulevard de Pontoise at Argenteuil, Snow Effect by Claude Monet – 1875
Snow Scene at Argenteuil by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
Snow Scene at Argenteuil by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
Skaters at Giverny by Claude Oscar Monet - 1899
Skaters at Giverny by Claude Oscar Monet – 1899
The Banks of the Fjord at Christiania by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
The Banks of the Fjord at Christiania by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Snow at Argenteuil by Claude Oscar Monet - 1874-1875
Snow at Argenteuil by Claude Oscar Monet – 1874-1875
Sandviken Village in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
Sandviken Village in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Route, effet de neige, soleil couchant (Snow Effect along a Road with Setting Sun) by Claude Oscar Monet
Route, effet de neige, soleil couchant (Snow Effect along a Road with Setting Sun) by Claude Oscar Monet
Road to Giverny in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet - 1885
Road to Giverny in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet – 1885
Road at Louveciennes, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1869-1870
Road at Louveciennes, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1869-1870
Red Houses at Bjornegaard in the Snow, Norway by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
Red Houses at Bjornegaard in the Snow, Norway by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Mount Kolsaas, Rose Reflection by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
Mount Kolsaas, Rose Reflection by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Mount Kolsaas by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
Mount Kolsaas by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Lavacourt, Sun and Snow by Claude Oscar Monet - 1878-1881
Lavacourt, Sun and Snow by Claude Oscar Monet – 1878-1881
Lavacourt in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet - 1879
Lavacourt in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet – 1879
Ice Floes, Misty Morning by Claude Oscar Monet - 1894
Ice Floes, Misty Morning by Claude Oscar Monet – 1894
Ice Floes on the Seine at Bougival by Claude Oscar Monet - 1867-1868
Ice Floes on the Seine at Bougival by Claude Oscar Monet – 1867-1868
Houses in the Snow, Norway by Claude Oscar Monet - 1895
Houses in the Snow, Norway by Claude Oscar Monet – 1895
Grainstacks in the Morning, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1891
Grainstacks in the Morning, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1891
Grainstacks at Sunset, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1890-1891
Grainstacks at Sunset, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1890-1891
Frost by Claude Oscar Monet - 1885
Frost by Claude Oscar Monet – 1885
Frost by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
Frost by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
Floating Ice near Bennecourt by Claude Oscar Monet - 1893
Floating Ice near Bennecourt by Claude Oscar Monet – 1893
Floating Ice by Claude Oscar Monet - 1880
Floating Ice by Claude Oscar Monet – 1880
Entering the Village of Vetheuil in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet - 1879
Entering the Village of Vetheuil in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet – 1879
Coming into Giverny in Winter, Sunset by Claude Oscar Monet - 1885
Coming into Giverny in Winter, Sunset by Claude Oscar Monet – 1885
Church at Jeufosse, Snowy Weather by Claude Oscar Monet - 1893
Church at Jeufosse, Snowy Weather by Claude Oscar Monet – 1893
Boulevard St-Denis, Argenteuil, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
Boulevard St-Denis, Argenteuil, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
Amsterdam in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet - 1874
Amsterdam in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet – 1874
A Cart on the Snow Covered Road with Saint-Simeon Farm by Claude Oscar Monet - c. 1865
A Cart on the Snow Covered Road with Saint-Simeon Farm by Claude Oscar Monet – c. 1865
White Frost by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
White Frost by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
View of Argenteuil in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
View of Argenteuil in the Snow by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
Train in the Snow, the Locomotive by Claude Oscar Monet - 1875
Train in the Snow, the Locomotive by Claude Oscar Monet – 1875
The Seine at Port Villez, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1885
The Seine at Port Villez, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1885
The Seine at Bougival by Claude Oscar Monet - 1869
The Seine at Bougival by Claude Oscar Monet – 1869
The Road to Vetheuil, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet - 1879
The Road to Vetheuil, Snow Effect by Claude Oscar Monet – 1879
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet - 1879
The Road in Vetheuil in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet – 1879
The Road by Saint-Simeon Farm in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet - 1867
The Road by Saint-Simeon Farm in Winter by Claude Oscar Monet – 1867
The Magpie by Claude Oscar Monet - 1869
The Magpie by Claude Oscar Monet – 1869
The Effect of Snow at Limetz by Claude Oscar Monet - 1886
The Effect of Snow at Limetz by Claude Oscar Monet – 1886
The Church at Vetheuil, Snow by Claude Oscar Monet - 1878-1879
The Church at Vetheuil, Snow by Claude Oscar Monet – 1878-1879

In the Bleak Mid Winter

The story of shepherding begins some 5,000 years ago in Asia Minor.

As the name implies, a shepherd is a sheep herder — derived from the Old English sceaphierde, where sceap means sheep and hierde, herder.

Kept for their milk, meat and most importantly their wool, sheep flock together for fear of danger and instinctively follow any of their group that takes the lead.

It is this herding characteristic that made sheep farming comparatively easy and low cost for most of the year.

With just a crook and a dog, a lone shepherd could control a flock and lead them to market for shearing in the spring.

The sheepdog helped keep the flock together and protect it from predators such as wolves.

But when winter came, it was a different story.

Cold, lonely, and bleak.

Since the fertile lowlands and river valleys were used to grow grains and cereals, sheep farming was restricted to the rugged upland and mountainous areas.

One such area was the Highlands of Scotland.

Constantly on the move, the flock grazed as best it could, navigating woodlands, streams, open fields, stone walls, and wooden fences.

Blizzards. Deep snow. Snow on snow.

Until the thaw arrived once more in the spring.

19th-century artist Joseph Farquharson captured the shepherd’s winter struggle perfectly.

There is something ethereal in these windswept, yet romantic paintings from the Scottish Highlands.

Perhaps someone was watching over the shepherd, his flock, and his trusty dog.

The Stormy Blast by Joseph Farquharson, 1898
The Stormy Blast by Joseph Farquharson, 1898
Study for At Freezing Point by Joseph Farquharson
Study for At Freezing Point by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in a Snowstorm by Joseph Farquharson, 1893
Sheep in a Snowstorm by Joseph Farquharson, 1893
O'er Snow Clad Pastures, When the Sky Grew Red by Joseph Farquharson
O’er Snow Clad Pastures, When the Sky Grew Red by Joseph Farquharson
Herding Sheep in a Winter Landscape at Sunset by Joseph Farquharson
Herding Sheep in a Winter Landscape at Sunset by Joseph Farquharson
In Deep Mid Winter by Joseph Farquharson
In Deep Mid Winter by Joseph Farquharson
The Joyless Winter Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1883
The Joyless Winter Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1883
The Edge of the Wood by Joseph Farquharson
The Edge of the Wood by Joseph Farquharson
The Day Was Sloping towards His Western Bower by Joseph Farquharson, 1912
The Day Was Sloping towards His Western Bower by Joseph Farquharson, 1912
Blow, Blow, Thou Wintery Wind by Joseph Farquharson
Blow, Blow, Thou Wintery Wind by Joseph Farquharson
Evening at Finzean by Joseph Farquharson
Evening at Finzean by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Peeped o'er yon Southland Hills by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Peeped o’er yon Southland Hills by Joseph Farquharson
The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close
The Shortening Winter’s Day is near a Close
Through the Crisp Air by Joseph Farquharson, 1902
Through the Crisp Air by Joseph Farquharson, 1902
A Walk in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
A Walk in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson
West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson
When snow the pasture sheets by Joseph Farquharson, 1915
When snow the pasture sheets by Joseph Farquharson, 1915
When Snow the Pasture Sheets by Joseph Farquharson
When Snow the Pasture Sheets by Joseph Farquharson
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1910
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1910
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1901
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1901
Where Winter Holds its Sway by Joseph Farquharson
Where Winter Holds its Sway by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
A Winter's Morning by Joseph Farquharson
A Winter’s Morning by Joseph Farquharson
Sun Pepped o'er the Hill by Joseph Farquharson
Sun Pepped o’er the Hill by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Had Closed the Winter's Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1904
The Sun Had Closed the Winter’s Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1904
The Sun Fast Sinks in the West by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Fast Sinks in the West by Joseph Farquharson

20 Exquisite Paintings of 18th-Century Ladies by Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (1723 – 1792) was an influential eighteenth-century English portrait painter.

He promoted the “Grand Manner” of painting which idealized subjects to convey a sense of nobility.

Knighted by King George III in 1769, Reynolds was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Although he had little technical training as an artist, he possessed an instinct for color and composition. His figures appear in a natural attitude of grace and he gives them an air of distinction. Even the most ill-tempered sitters were elevated to a position of dignity.

Reynolds had a gift for capturing the personality of the sitter—what critics called “realizing their individuality.” Using his imagination, he would weave a story into each portrait.

His compositions have a symmetry of outline and flow of lines reminiscent of Raphael. In fact, he borrowed from many sources: Rembrandt’s lighting and color harmonies; Rubens’s splendor; Titian’s decoration.

Yet to all his works, he added his personal touch that makes them uniquely Reynolds.

Which is your favorite 18th-century lady painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds?

The 17th-Century Hampton Court Beauties

Depicting the most glamorous ladies from the court of King William III and Queen Mary II, the Hampton Court Beauties are a series of portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller, commissioned by the Queen herself.

They adorn the state rooms of King William III at Hampton Court Palace.

… the principal Ladies attending upon her Majesty, or who were frequently in her retinue; and this was the more beautiful sight, because the originals were all in being, and often to be compar’d with their pictures.Daniel Defoe

Queen Mary II was a fashion trendsetter and a collector of fine china, particularly blue and white porcelain. Her household account book of 1694 lists 31 mantuas and gowns, taffeta, velvet and satin fabrics, satin shoes with gold and silver lace, gloves, furs, fringes, ribbons, and fans.

Queen Mary II by William Wissing
Queen Mary II by William Wissing

The late 17th century was a decadent, sensual era when great beauty could be an instrument of ambition, a passage to pleasure, and a ride to riches.

Handsome rewards lay ahead for royal mistresses like Nell Gwyn, the long-time mistress of King Charles II of England and Scotland. Her son by the King was made the Duke of St Albans and married into the established aristocracy.

Capturing beauty in portraiture became a preoccupation of portrait artists who developed their own techniques to heighten natural beauty. Dutch artist William Wissing had a particular way of bringing a fashionable blush to a lady’s cheeks. He would take her by the hand and dance her about the room until the exercise gave the desired complexion.

Vote for your favorite beauty from the court of Queen Mary.

References
Contains affiliate links
Wikipedia.org
The Royal Collection
A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain by Daniel Defoe
everythingieverloved (images)

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Mucha Do About Art Nouveau

The rags to riches story of Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha.

Living alone in Paris in 1894, Alphonse Mucha barely made enough money to feed himself.

Alphonse Mucha Self Portrait, 1899
Alphonse Mucha Self Portrait, 1899

There had been better times. Back home in Moravia, he had worked in a castle restoring portraits and decorating rooms with murals. Those were the days. His employer, the Count, had encouraged Mucha to take formal studies and had provided financial support.

Now, at 34, with his savings gone, Mucha was scraping a living from his artwork, taking small commissions from magazine pictures, designs for costumes in operas and ballets, and book illustrations.

But his fortunes were about to change.

Just before Christmas 1894, he happened to drop into a print shop and heard that Sarah Bernhardt—the most famous actress in Paris—was starring in a new play, Gismonda.

Sarah Bernhardt by Félix Nadar
Sarah Bernhardt by Félix Nadar

The promoters needed a poster to advertise the production, and so Alphonse Mucha offered to deliver a lithograph in two weeks.

It was an overnight sensation. Bernhardt was so pleased with the success of this first poster that she offered him a six-year contract.

Alphonse Mucha had brought Art Nouveau to the people of Paris.

Poster for Victorien Sardou's Gismonda starring Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris., 1894
Poster for the première production of Victorien Sardou’s Gismonda starring Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris, 1894
Poster for an evening of theater honoring Sarah Bernhardt (1896)

For the next 10 years, Alphonse Mucha kept busy with commissions for posters, book illustrations, programs, and calendars.

Abounding with ornamental pictorial elements with crisp curvilinear contours, the stylized graceful women of “Style Mucha” became synonymous with the whole Art Nouveau movement.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter by Alphonse much, 1896
Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter by Alphonse much, 1896

Mucha’s work captured the worldliness and decadence of the fin de siècle (turn of the century) and the belle époque (“The Beautiful Era”)—a time when Paris was the resplendent cultural capital of the world.

Dance by Alfons Mucha, 1898
Dance by Alfons Mucha, 1898
Zodiac by Alphonse Mucha
Zodiac by Alphonse Mucha
Poetry by Alphonse Mucha
Poetry by Alphonse Mucha
Byzantine Heads - Brunette by Alphonse Mucha
Byzantine Heads – Brunette by Alphonse Mucha
Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile by Alphonse Mucha, 1896
Biscuits Lefèvre-Utile by Alphonse Mucha, 1896
Monaco Monte Carlo by Alfons Mucha
Monaco Monte Carlo by Alfons Mucha
Bières de la Meuse by Alphonse Mucha
Bières de la Meuse by Alphonse Mucha
Advertising poster for Chocolat Idéal by Alfons Mucha
Advertising poster for Chocolat Idéal by Alfons Mucha
Flower by Alphonse Mucha, 1897
Flower by Alphonse Mucha, 1897

Mucha grew up in a small village in Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic. When he was a boy, it was part of the Habsburg Empire. Poverty and suffering were a part of everyday life—five of Mucha’s brothers and sisters died from tuberculosis.

Coming from a deeply religious family, the Church was a big influence on Mucha’s early life. From church decorations to the mysticism of religion, he remained fascinated by spiritualism throughout his life and even dabbled in the occult.

The Municipal House Ceiling by Alphonse Mucha, Prague
The Municipal House Ceiling by Alphonse Mucha, Prague
Mucha's stained glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral inside Prague Castle
Mucha’s stained glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral inside Prague Castle
An illustrated page from Le Pater by Mucha
An illustrated page from Le Pater by Mucha

After Paris, Mucha spent four years in the United States before returning to his home country, settling in Prague.

He started work on a fine art masterpiece—a history of the Slavic peoples. Called The Slav Epic, it comprises 20 huge canvases up to 26 ft wide and 20 ft high.

Mucha's The Slav Epic, 1911
Mucha’s The Slav Epic, 1911
The Slave Epic - The coronation of the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan as East Roman Emperor (1926)
The Slave Epic – The coronation of the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan as East Roman Emperor (1926)
Apotheosis of the Slavs history by Alfons Mucha (1926)
Apotheosis of the Slavs history by Alfons Mucha (1926)

When the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939, Mucha was among the first to be arrested. Weakened by interrogation and suffering from pneumonia, he died shortly after being released.

But his art lived on in the hearts of admirers the world over.

Los Cigarillos Paris, Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, THe Spirit of Spring, Portrait of Mme. Mucha
Los Cigarillos Paris, Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, The Spirit of Spring, Portrait of Mme. Mucha

12 Dashing Men of the Regency Era

The Regency (1795–1837) was a period when King George III of England was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of his father in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV.

It was a time of great elegance and achievement in the fine arts and architecture, shaping and altering the societal structure of Britain and influencing the world.

Upper-class society, in particular, flourished in a Renaissance of culture and refinement.

Here are 12 men from the Regency Era—some war heroes, some artists, but all embodying the proud spirit of the age.

1. Alexander Ivanovitch, Prince of Chernichev (1786-1857) by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1818

Alexander Ivanovitch, Prince of Chernichev (1786-1857) by Sir Thomas Lawrence - 1818

Next >>

30 Glorious Paintings of 19th-Century Europe

Have you ever considered taking up painting as a hobby? What would inspire you?

How about hiking through the Austrian Alps and northern Italy?

That’s exactly what awoke a desire to put brush to paper for 19th-century Austrian watercolor artist Rudolf von Alt.

The Dachstein from Vorderer Gosausee by Rudolf von Alt, 1838
The Dachstein from Vorderer Gosausee by Rudolf von Alt, 1838
A view of Vienna from the Prater with figures in the foreground by Rudolf von Alt, 1834
A view of Vienna from the Prater with figures in the foreground by Rudolf von Alt, 1834

A trip to Italy might also work wonders for your creativity.

Von Alt completed a number of paintings featuring the glorious architecture of European cities.

Figures on the Riva degli Schiavone by Rudolf von Alt, 1840
Figures on the Riva degli Schiavone by Rudolf von Alt, 1840
The Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda in Rome by Rudolf von Al, 1835
The Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda in Rome by Rudolf von Al, 1835
St. Peter's from the Vatican Garden by Rudolf von Alt, 1838
St. Peter’s from the Vatican Garden by Rudolf von Alt, 1838
View of Naples by Rudolf von Alt, c1870
View of Naples by Rudolf von Alt, c1870
The Stephansdom from Stock im Eisen Platz by Rudolf Ritter von Alt, 1832
The Stephansdom from Stock im Eisen Platz by Rudolf Ritter von Alt, 1832
The Cathedral Square in Cattaro by Rudolf von Alt, 1841
The Cathedral Square in Cattaro by Rudolf von Alt, 1841
Josefsplatz in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1831
Josefsplatz in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1831
View of Budapest with Chain Bridge and the Royal Palace by Rudolf von Alt, 1880
View of Budapest with Chain Bridge and the Royal Palace by Rudolf von Alt, 1880
Overlooking the Charles Church and the Polytechnic Institute by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
Overlooking the Charles Church and the Polytechnic Institute by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
The Neue Markt (Mehlmarkt) by Rudolf von Alt, 1836
The Neue Markt (Mehlmarkt) by Rudolf von Alt, 1836
The main square in Linz by Rudolf von Alt, 1839
The main square in Linz by Rudolf von Alt, 1839
View of the Basilica San Antonio in Padua by Rudolf von Alt, 1836
View of the Basilica San Antonio in Padua by Rudolf von Alt, 1836
The Esplanade of Ischl by Rudolf von Alt
The Esplanade of Ischl by Rudolf von Alt
Vienna, St. Michael the Hofburg and old Burgtheater by Rudolf von Alt, 1888
Vienna, St. Michael the Hofburg and old Burgtheater by Rudolf von Alt, 1888
Varenna at Lake Como by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
Varenna at Lake Como by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
The Lower Austrian Landhaus in Vienna from Minoritenplatz by Rudolf von Alt, 1845
The Lower Austrian Landhaus in Vienna from Minoritenplatz by Rudolf von Alt, 1845
The Jägerzeile in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1844
The Jägerzeile in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1844
The parish church in Ofen by Rudolf von Alt, 1845
The parish church in Ofen by Rudolf von Alt, 1845
View of the Alservorstadt by Rudolf von Alt, 1872
View of the Alservorstadt by Rudolf von Alt, 1872
The Main Square in Bratislava by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
The Main Square in Bratislava by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
Vienna, Freyung mit Austriabrunnen by Rudolf von Alt, 1847
Vienna, Freyung mit Austriabrunnen by Rudolf von Alt, 1847
Street in Palermo by Rudolf von Alt, 1867
Street in Palermo by Rudolf von Alt, 1867
The Tyn Church in Prague by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
The Tyn Church in Prague by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
View of the Doge's Palace in Venice by Rudolf von Alt, 1874
View of the Doge’s Palace in Venice by Rudolf von Alt, 1874
Bridge Tower Lesser Town in Prague by Rudolf von Alt, 1843
Bridge Tower Lesser Town in Prague by Rudolf von Alt, 1843

Painting interior views was also a much-admired skill of von Alt’s, bringing him a lot of attention in Vienna.

BSalon of Princess Henriette Odescalchi Castle in Hirtenberg by Rudolf von Alt, 1853
BSalon of Princess Henriette Odescalchi Castle in Hirtenberg by Rudolf von Alt, 1853
Staircase of the Upper Belvedere in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1882
Staircase of the Upper Belvedere in Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1882
The Japanese Salon, Villa Hügel, Hietzing, Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1855
The Japanese Salon, Villa Hügel, Hietzing, Vienna by Rudolf von Alt, 1855

Victorian Artist Charles Burton Barber Captures the Special Bond Between Children and Pets

Growing up in the popular Victorian family seaside resort of Great Yarmouth, England, it might have been happy childhood memories that helped Charles Burton Barber become such a successful Victorian artist of children and pets.

Such was the high regard for his skill, that in 1883 Barber was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters—the only art society dedicated to the Victorian artist specializing in oils.

Great Yarmouth, England, c. 1895
Victorian-era Great Yarmouth, England

His particular talent was for sentimental portraits of dogs, which helped win royal commissions from animal-lover Queen Victoria.

Barber succeeded Sir Edwin Landseer as the Queen’s court painter. One of his most renowned works is of Marco—a beautiful Pomeranian she bought on a trip to Florence, Italy, in 1888.

Marco on the Queen's Breakfast Table by Charles Burton Barber, 1893
Marco on the Queen’s Breakfast Table by Charles Burton Barber, 1893

Related post: Queen Victoria’s Beloved Pomeranians

Queen Victoria and Her Servant John Brown by Charles Burton Barber
Queen Victoria and Her Servant John Brown by Charles Burton Barber

Related post: Queen Victoria, Last of the Hanoverians

The next two paintings, “In Disgrace” and “A Special Pleader”, are two of Victorian artist Barber’s most famous works.

You may notice something similar—it’s the same little girl wiping her tears, having been sent to stand in the corner for naughty behavior.

In each painting, Barber captures the special relationship between dogs and humans. The little puppy is sharing her punishment, while the border collie appears to be pleading with her parents to forgive her.

In Disgrace by Charles Burton Barber
In Disgrace by Charles Burton Barber

Demand for Barber’s work is reflected in auction prices. In Disgrace fetched $639,964 at Christie’s in 2007, with A Special Pleader having been sold for $442,500 ten years earlier.

A Special Pleader by Charles Burton Barber, 1893
A Special Pleader by Charles Burton Barber, 1893
A Little Girl And Her Sheltie by Charles Burton Barber
A Little Girl And Her Sheltie by Charles Burton Barber

Painting animals with human-like expressions was a popular style for the Victorian artist.

Barber knew how to not only convey expressions like excitement, longing, sadness, and protection, but also to render them in a more natural, animal-like way.

The New Whip by Charles Burton Barber
The New Whip by Charles Burton Barber
A Monster by Charles Burton Barber, 1866
A Monster by Charles Burton Barber, 1866
The Rivals by Charles Burton Barber
The Rivals by Charles Burton Barber
Not Much Wrong by Charles Burton Barber
Not Much Wrong by Charles Burton Barber
The Little Baker With Her Two Assistants by Charles Burton Barber
The Little Baker With Her Two Assistants by Charles Burton Barber
A Mischievous Puppy by Charles Burton Barber, 1886
A Mischievous Puppy by Charles Burton Barber, 1886
The Hiding Place by Charles Burton Barber, 1891
The Hiding Place by Charles Burton Barber, 1891
Off to School by Charles Burton Barber, 1883
Off to School by Charles Burton Barber, 1883

The painting “Suspense” shown below was owned by rival soap manufacturers Pears and Lever Brothers. It depicts a beautiful young girl saying grace over breakfast with her pet cat and Jack Russell gazing longingly at the feast before her.

Suspense by Charles Burton Barber
Suspense by Charles Burton Barber
Blond and Brunette by Charles Burton Barber, 1879
Blond and Brunette by Charles Burton Barber, 1879
Coaxing Is Better by Charles Burton Barber
Coaxing Is Better by Charles Burton Barber
Trust by Charles Burton Barber, 1888
Trust by Charles Burton Barber, 1888
No ride today by Charles Burton Barber
No ride today by Charles Burton Barber
Girl with Dogs by Charles Burton Barber, 1893
Girl with Dogs by Charles Burton Barber, 1893
The Two Invalids by Charles Burton Barber
The Two Invalids by Charles Burton Barber
The Broken String by Charles Burton Barber
The Broken String by Charles Burton Barber
I am higher! by Charles Burton Barber
I am higher! by Charles Burton Barber
The New Keeper by Charles Burton Barber, 1888
The New Keeper by Charles Burton Barber, 1888
A Scratch Pack by Charles Burton Barber
A Scratch Pack by Charles Burton Barber
Time to Wake Up by Charles Burton Barber, 1883
Time to Wake Up by Charles Burton Barber, 1883
Lost Chance by Charles Burton Barber
Lost Chance by Charles Burton Barber
Sweethearts by Charles Burton Barber, 1890
Sweethearts by Charles Burton Barber, 1890

Parasols—the Essential Accessory for a Lady

On a windy summer’s day in 1875, Claude Monet painted his wife Camille with their son Jean out for a stroll in Argenteuil, a suburb of Paris.

Splashes of color and Monet’s use of light help capture a moment of spontaneity.

Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet, 1875
Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son by Claude Monet, 1875

Holding her parasol tightly against the wind, Camille is set against an azure sky with wispy white clouds, looking down at Monet from a rise in the meadow.

Camille was modeling for a theme that Victorians loved—”Lady With a Parasol”.

Victorian poet Emily Dickinson likened a lady opening a parasol to a butterfly spreading its wings in the warmth of the sun.

Painted Lady butterfly. Credit SD Dirk, flickr
Painted Lady butterfly. Credit SD Dirk, flickr
From Cocoon forth a Butterfly
As Lady from her Door
Emerged—a Summer Afternoon—
… Her pretty Parasol be seen
Contracting in a Field
—Emily Dickinson.
Young Woman with a Parasol by Winslow Homer, 1880
Young Woman with a Parasol by Winslow Homer, 1880

We most often associate the beautiful image of a lady with a parasol with the Victorian and Edwardian Eras. But as far back as the 5th century BC, the Ancient Greeks thought parasols were an indispensable accessory for a lady of fashion.

Morning Walk by John Singer Sargent, 1888
Morning Walk by John Singer Sargent, 1888
Woman and Parasol by Albert Edelfelt, 1886
Woman and Parasol by Albert Edelfelt, 1886
A Walk by the River by Andre Brouillet (1857 - 1914)
A Walk by the River by Andre Brouillet (1857 – 1914)
The White Parasol by Robert Lewis Reid, 1907
The White Parasol by Robert Lewis Reid, 1907
Summer by Colin Campbell Cooper, 1918
Summer by Colin Campbell Cooper, 1918

The Ancient Chinese attached collapsible parasols to their ceremonial carriages and the Ancient Egyptians used a fan of palm-leaves on a long handle, similar to those now carried ceremoniously in papal processions.

Terracotta Army. Exhibition. Credit Tomasz Sienicki
Terracotta Army. Exhibition. Credit Tomasz Sienicki

Roman maid-servants saw it as a post of honour to carry a parasol over their mistresses.

According to Ancient Indian legend, in around the 4th century BC, a skilled bowman named Jamadagni practiced shooting arrows and his wife Renuka helped recover them so that he could continue practicing and become the best bowman in all India. Jamadagni fired one arrow so far that it took Renuka a whole day to find it, the heat of the sun exhausting her. In anger, Jamadagni fired an arrow at the sun. Begging for mercy, the sun gave Renuka the gift of a beautiful parasol.

Nature has been providing us with parasols since the dawn of mankind. Tree canopies absorb the sun’s ultraviolet rays, providing natural shade.

Woman Sitting with a Parasol by Aristide Maillol, 1895
Woman Sitting with a Parasol by Aristide Maillol, 1895

Parasol Pines are native to Southern Europe and the Middle East, their shape resembling a parasol.

View of Cannes with Parasol Pines by William Stanley Haseltine, 1869
View of Cannes with Parasol Pines by William Stanley Haseltine, 1869

Parasols came in many shapes, sizes, designs, and colors—most were personal hand-held devices, others were larger for sharing.

Woman with Parasol by Frederick Carl Frieseke, c. 1912
Woman with Parasol by Frederick Carl Frieseke, c. 1912
The Green Parasol by Guy Orlando Rose, c. 1909
The Green Parasol by Guy Orlando Rose, c. 1909
Lady with a Parasol by Hamilton Hamilton
Lady with a Parasol by Hamilton Hamilton
The Garden Parasol by Frederick Carl Frieseke, c. 1910
The Garden Parasol by Frederick Carl Frieseke, c. 1910

Whatever shape or size, they are beautiful objects that are still admired today. Let’s take a closer look at some from the Victorian era.

1850s. American. Silk, metal, wood, ivory
1850s. American. Silk, metal, wood, ivory

The above parasol is typical of the 1850s, with its tiered canopy echoing the shape of the skirt. The fabric was woven à la disposition—specifically for the shape of the parasol.

1860s. American. Silk, ivory, metal
1860s. American. Silk, ivory, metal

The “marquise parasol” above was originally designed for Madame de Pompadour—the chief mistress of King Louis XV at Versailles. With its tilting top that could be angled for flirtatious effect and its embossed floral motif lining the edge, it was the perfect accessory for the art of coquetry.

1868. French. Silk, icory, metal
1868. French. Silk, icory, metal

Made for the wife of a prominent Civil War general from New York, the parasol above features an exquisitely carved ivory handle depicting the idealized Greek female form and the shell-like curves typical of Rococo.

1905. American. Cotton, wood. metal
1905. American. Cotton, wood. metal

Parasols were often matched to the attire of the wearer. This Edwardian-era example was made of eyelet fabric—popular for a number of summer garments.

Often seen at the races, this type of parasol not only showcased the latest fashion but also displayed the wealth and social status of the owner.

At the Races by Louis Anquetin, c. 1895
At the Races by Louis Anquetin, c. 1895

Parasol covers could be patterned with complex forms—usually floral with curvilinear scrolling. The chain link motif shown below was unusual for covers, being found more often on handle designs in the last quarter of the 19th century.

1880s. French. Silk
1880s. French. Silk

The Belgian appliqué net lace shown below would have been used on a very expensive parasol. Attaching the separately-made covers was the last stage of the manufacturing process.

c. 1885. Belgian Net Lace Parasol
c. 1885. Belgian Net Lace Parasol

The marbleized handle tip of the beautiful French-made parasol below has intricate metal and enamel accents. Luxury parasols had fine quality finishes on the inside. Each rib and stretcher has been individually covered with fabric. The shank is as beautifully made as the handle, with a high-quality polished wood finish.

1895. French. Silk, sood, metal, marble, enamel
1895. French. Silk, sood, metal, marble, enamel

To Victorians and Edwardians, parasols were very special accessories that not only performed an important function but were also an expression of personal taste, wealth, and social class.

Loving Flower Care by Victor Gabriel Gilbert, 1933
Loving Flower Care by Victor Gabriel Gilbert, 1933
A Solitary Ramble by Julian Ashton, 1888
A Solitary Ramble by Julian Ashton, 1888
The green parasol by Emanuel Phillips Fox, 1912
The green parasol by Emanuel Phillips Fox, 1912
Group with Parasols by John Singer Sargent, 1905
Group with Parasols by John Singer Sargent, 1905
Woman with Parasol by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi, 1883
Woman with Parasol by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi, 1883
Lady with a Parasol by Tom Roberts, c. 1893
Lady with a Parasol by Tom Roberts, c. 1893
An Elegant Lady with a Parasol by Jules-Alexandre Grun, 1905
An Elegant Lady with a Parasol by Jules-Alexandre Grun, 1905
Woman with a parasol by Édouard Manet, 1881
Woman with a parasol by Édouard Manet, 1881

The Art of Café Society

Café society was the name given to the “Beautiful People” and “Bright Young Things” who gathered in fashionable cafes in New York, Paris, and London beginning in the 1890s.

But the history of cafes goes back much farther.

During the middle ages, coffeehouses spread across the Ottoman Empire, starting in what is now Saudi Arabia, then opening in Syria, Egypt, and Istanbul.

Describing the Persian coffeehouse scene in the 17th-century, French traveler Jean Chardin wrote:

People engage in conversation, for it is there that news is communicated and where those interested in politics criticize the government in all freedom and without being fearful since the government does not heed what the people say.

Chardin noted that games like chess and checkers were played, along with poets and preachers telling stories in verse or as moral lessons.

Trade with the Ottoman Empire brought coffeehouses to Europe via the Republic of Venice in around 1629, with the first coffeehouse in England opening in Oxford in 1652.

Grand Café, Oxford. Credit Kake, flickr
Grand Café, Oxford. Credit Kake, flickr

Here, at what is now the Grand Café in Oxford, 17th-century luminaries gathered to discuss a whole range of ideas based on reason—what we now refer to as the Enlightenment.

Whether you visit alone to think and contemplate, or to join friends and chat about life, work, and the ways of the world, the next time you settle in at Starbucks or Costa Coffee or a host of other modern cafés, take a moment to pause and reflect on what these places actually represent.

They are where our modern ideas of liberty, progress, tolerance, and fraternity were born.

El Cafe by Jose Jimenez y Aranda
El Cafe by Jose Jimenez y Aranda
Garden Cafe on the River Elbe by Max Liebermann - circa 1922
Garden Cafe on the River Elbe by Max Liebermann – circa 1922
In Café Bauer by Lesser Ury, 1895
In Café Bauer by Lesser Ury, 1895
Terrace Scene-Musée Lorrain by Léon Voirin (1833-1887)
Terrace Scene-Musée Lorrain by Léon Voirin (1833-1887)
In Front of the Cafe by Lesser Ury - circa 1920-1929
In Front of the Cafe by Lesser Ury – circa 1920-1929
Cafe de la Paix, Paris by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin
Cafe de la Paix, Paris by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin
In the Cafe by Pyotr Nilus - 1901
In the Cafe by Pyotr Nilus – 1901
Cafe de Paris by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida - 1885
Cafe de Paris by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida – 1885
Cafe along a River by Luigi Loir
Cafe along a River by Luigi Loir
La Guinguette, an outdoor cafe in Montmartre by Vincent van Gogh, 1886
La Guinguette, an outdoor cafe in Montmartre by Vincent van Gogh, 1886
Outdoor Cafe on Staufenplatz by Heinrich Hermanns
Outdoor Cafe on Staufenplatz by Heinrich Hermanns
Paris. Cafe de la Paix by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin - 1906
Paris. Cafe de la Paix by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin – 1906
The terrace of the café of the glacier, place Stanislas in Nancy by Léon Joseph Voirin (1833-1887)
The terrace of the café of the glacier, place Stanislas in Nancy by Léon Joseph Voirin (1833-1887)
The Cafe on the terrace at St Ile de Yeu by Henri Lebasque - circa 1919
The Cafe on the terrace at St Ile de Yeu by Henri Lebasque – circa 1919
Woman in a Cafe by Edgar Degas - circa 1877
Woman in a Cafe by Edgar Degas – circa 1877
Women on a Cafe Terrace in the Evening by Edgar Degas - 1877
Women on a Cafe Terrace in the Evening by Edgar Degas – 1877
At the Cafe by Felix Vallotton - 1909
At the Cafe by Felix Vallotton – 1909
Cafe Maxim, Paris by Jean-Louis Forain
Cafe Maxim, Paris by Jean-Louis Forain
Night Cafe by Axel Torneman - circa 1905-1906
Night Cafe by Axel Torneman – circa 1905-1906
El Cafe de Montmartre by Santiago Rusiñol Prats - 1890
El Cafe de Montmartre by Santiago Rusiñol Prats – 1890
Conversation at the Cafe by Giovanni Boldini - 1877-1878
Conversation at the Cafe by Giovanni Boldini – 1877-1878
At the Cafe by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887-1889
At the Cafe by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887-1889
Hailing a Cab outside the Cafe Americain by Jean-Georges Béraud - circa 1890
Hailing a Cab outside the Cafe Americain by Jean-Georges Béraud – circa 1890
The Boulevards, Evening in Front of the Cafe Napolitain by Jean-Georges Béraud
The Boulevards, Evening in Front of the Cafe Napolitain by Jean-Georges Béraud
Street Corner on Karl Johan, Grand Cafe by Edvard Munch - 1883
Street Corner on Karl Johan, Grand Cafe by Edvard Munch – 1883
Young Woman in a Cafe by Jean-François Raffaëlli
Young Woman in a Cafe by Jean-François Raffaëlli
A Parisian Cafe by Ilia Efimovich Repin - 1875
A Parisian Cafe by Ilia Efimovich Repin – 1875
At the Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir - 1877
At the Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir – 1877
Cafe en la terraza by Julio Vila Prades
Cafe en la terraza by Julio Vila Prades
The Terrace Cafe, Mar del Plata, Argentina by Eugenio Alvarez Dumont - 1912
The Terrace Cafe, Mar del Plata, Argentina by Eugenio Alvarez Dumont – 1912
Parisian Cafe by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin
Parisian Cafe by Constantin Alexeevich Korovin
Paris Cafe by Alfred Henry Maurer - circa 1904
Paris Cafe by Alfred Henry Maurer – circa 1904
Cafe-Concert by Édouard Manet - 1878
Cafe-Concert by Édouard Manet – 1878
Moulin de la Galette by Isaac Israëls, 1906
Moulin de la Galette by Isaac Israëls, 1906
The Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir - circa 1874-1877
The Cafe by Pierre Auguste Renoir – circa 1874-1877
At the Cafe by Jean-Louis Forain - circa 1879
At the Cafe by Jean-Louis Forain – circa 1879
Cafe sur la Port by Henri Lebasque
Cafe sur la Port by Henri Lebasque
In a Cafe by Gustave Caillebotte - 1880
In a Cafe by Gustave Caillebotte – 1880
Cafe de la Paix by Richard Edward Miller - circa 1905
Cafe de la Paix by Richard Edward Miller – circa 1905
A Parisian Cafe by Edouaro Leon Garrido - 1886
A Parisian Cafe by Edouaro Leon Garrido – 1886
In the cafe by Gotthardt Kuehl, 1915
In the cafe by Gotthardt Kuehl, 1915
An Elegant Lady in Black in a Cafe by Pompeo Mariani
An Elegant Lady in Black in a Cafe by Pompeo Mariani
Cafe in Venice by Manuel Domínguez Sánchez
Cafe in Venice by Manuel Domínguez Sánchez
Cafe De Paris by Richard Edward Miller
Cafe De Paris by Richard Edward Miller
The Cafe Terrace on the Place de Forum, Arles, At Night by Vincent van Gogh - 1888
The Cafe Terrace on the Place de Forum, Arles, At Night by Vincent van Gogh – 1888
In the Cafe by Isaac Israels - circa 1905
In the Cafe by Isaac Israels – circa 1905
Terrasse De Cafe by Delphin Enjolras
Terrasse De Cafe by Delphin Enjolras
Night Cafe by Sergei Arsenevich Vinogradov - 1901
Night Cafe by Sergei Arsenevich Vinogradov – 1901
Cafe by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin - 1907
Cafe by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin – 1907
The Cafe Royal, London by Sir William Orpen, R.A., R.H.A. - 1912
The Cafe Royal, London by Sir William Orpen, R.A., R.H.A. – 1912
Cafe de Paris by Jean-Georges Béraud - circa 1900
Cafe de Paris by Jean-Georges Béraud – circa 1900
At the Cafe by Robert Koehler - circa 1887
At the Cafe by Robert Koehler – circa 1887
The Night Cafe by Luigi Loir
The Night Cafe by Luigi Loir
In A Paris Cafe by Boris Grigoriev, 1914
In A Paris Cafe by Boris Grigoriev, 1914
Café Bauer by Leo Lesser Ury, 1889
Café Bauer by Leo Lesser Ury, 1889
Cafe by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1907
Cafe by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1907

30 Beautiful Paintings of Village Life Around Norwegian Fjords by Hans Dahl

Hans Dahl (1849 – 1937) was famous for painting breathtaking Norwegian landscapes with sheer-sided fjords and sweeping valleys.

Within those settings, he painted pretty young women going about their everyday work in the surrounding fields—gathering leaves and grasses to feed cattle and sheep, fishing, making hay, or picking wildflowers to sell at market.

Born in the village of Granvin on Hardangerfjord, the second longest fjord in Norway, Dahl showed early promise as an artist.

After military service, he apprenticed with landscape painter Johan Fredrik Eckersberg and studied under romanticist painter Hans Gude.

But it was Dahl’s training at the Düsseldorf school of painting that would characterize his work—finely detailed, yet dreamlike, idealized landscapes.

What better music to accompany Hans Dahl’s work than that of a fellow Norwegian—the composer Edvard Grieg.

Summerday by Balestrand by Hans Dahl
Summerday by Balestrand by Hans Dahl
Summer Day on the Fjord by Hans Dahl
Summer Day on the Fjord by Hans Dahl
A young girl in a fjord landscape by Hans Dahl
A young girl in a fjord landscape by Hans Dahl
A Young Woman in the Meadow by Hans Dahl, 1894
A Young Woman in the Meadow by Hans Dahl, 1894
The Young Harvester by Hans Dahl
The Young Harvester by Hans Dahl
Awaiting his return by Hans Dahl
Awaiting his return by Hans Dahl
A summer day in the mountains by Hans Dahl
A summer day in the mountains by Hans Dahl
Milkmaid with goats by Hans Dahl
Milkmaid with goats by Hans Dahl
Last Rays of the Sun by Hans Dahl
Last Rays of the Sun by Hans Dahl
Happy Thoughts by Hans Dahl
Happy Thoughts by Hans Dahl
Girl with Sickle by Hans Dahl
Girl with Sickle by Hans Dahl
Harvesters by the Banks of a Fjord by Hans Dahl
Harvesters by the Banks of a Fjord by Hans Dahl
Girl in a Fjord Landscape by Hans Dahl
Girl in a Fjord Landscape by Hans Dahl
Girl Carrying Leaves by Hans Dahl
Girl Carrying Leaves by Hans Dahl
Admiring the View by Hans Dahl
Admiring the View by Hans Dahl
Girl before a Fjord by Hans Dahl
Girl before a Fjord by Hans Dahl
Fresh Breeze, Norway by Hans Dahl, 1900
Fresh Breeze, Norway by Hans Dahl, 1900
Flirtation by Hans Dahl
Flirtation by Hans Dahl
The Fjord by Hans Dahl
The Fjord by Hans Dahl
Girl Beside a Fjord by Hans Dahl, 1910
Figures in a Rowing Boat on a Fjord by Hans Dahl, 1917
Figures in a Rowing Boat on a Fjord by Hans Dahl, 1917
Crossing the Ford by Hans Dahl
Crossing the Ford by Hans Dahl
By the Water's Edge by Hans Dahl, 1880
By the Water’s Edge by Hans Dahl, 1880
By the Fjord by Hans Dahl
By the Fjord by Hans Dahl
By the Fjord by Hans Dahl
By the Fjord by Hans Dahl
Girl by a mountain lake by Hans Dahl
Girl by a mountain lake by Hans Dahl
An Alpine Landscapewith a Shepherdess and Goats by Hans Dahl
An Alpine Landscapewith a Shepherdess and Goats by Hans Dahl
Summer Day by Hans Dahl
Summer Day by Hans Dahl
Rest of Haymakers by Hans Dahl
Rest of Haymakers by Hans Dahl
Sognefjord by Hans Dahl
Sognefjord by Hans Dahl

16 Albert Lynch Paintings from the Belle Époque

Born in Trujillo, Peru, in 1851, Albert Lynch moved to Paris to study at one of the most prestigious and influential art schools of the 19th century—l’École des Beaux-Arts.

Working under the guidance of Jules Achille Noël, Gabriel Ferrier and Henri Lehmann, Lynch reached a standard that was good enough to show at the Paris Salon in 1890 and 1892, and also the Exposition Universelle of 1900, where he was awarded a gold medal.

Preferring pastel, gouache and watercolor, Lynch painted society women “in the spirit of the Belle Époque”. He also illustrated some high profile novels of the period including Camille by Alexandre Dumas, fils (the son of Alexandre Dumas of The Count of Monte Cristo fame), Le Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac and La Parisienne by Henry Becque.

Gathering Flowers by Albert Lynch
Gathering Flowers by Albert Lynch
Head of a Girl by Albert Lynch
Head of a Girl by Albert Lynch
Tea Time by Albert Lynch
Tea Time by Albert Lynch
Portrait Of An Elegant Lady by Albert Lynch
Portrait Of An Elegant Lady by Albert Lynch
Embarking on a Voyage by Albert Lynch
Embarking on a Voyage by Albert Lynch
In the Garden by Albert Lynch
In the Garden by Albert Lynch
Suivez moi by Albert Lynch
Suivez moi by Albert Lynch
Portrait of a Young Woman by Albert Lynch
Portrait of a Young Woman by Albert Lynch
Portrait Of A Lady In Blue by Albert Lynch
Portrait Of A Lady In Blue by Albert Lynch
The Print Connoisseurs by Albert Lynch
The Print Connoisseurs by Albert Lynch
A Young Beauty with Flowers in her Hair by Albert Lynch
A Young Beauty with Flowers in her Hair by Albert Lynch
Young woman with hat by Albert Lynch
Young woman with hat by Albert Lynch
A Lady With a Fan by Albert Lynch
A Lady With a Fan by Albert Lynch
The New Partition by Albert Lynch
The New Partition by Albert Lynch
Fresh From the Garden by Albert Lynch
Fresh From the Garden by Albert Lynch
The Letter by Albert Lynch
The Letter by Albert Lynch
Other paintings of society women from Albert Lynch
Other paintings of society women from Albert Lynch

20 Handmade Dolls Tell the History of Fashion

This is the story of how a series of exquisite handmade dolls, representing the history of French haute couture made their way to the United States as an expression of gratitude.

The year was 1948 and France was still suffering from the effects of World War II. Housed in boxcars and dubbed the “Friendship Train”, American aide organizations had sent large-scale relief the year before.

Read more …

Now it was France who wished to show its gratitude for America’s generosity by creating the “Gratitude Train”—a set of 49 box cars filled with French-made gifts, like handmade toys and priceless works of art.

The French fashion houses banded together to create something very special.

They tasked their most talented designers with creating a set of fashion dolls that would show the evolution of French fashion.

Measuring 24 inches tall with bodies made from open wire, the designers used human hair to fashion the hairstyles.

Using period paintings, literature, and fashion plates as references, each designer chose a year between 1715 and 1906.

Representing their creative interpretations, the designers used the same level of care and attention to detail as they did for full size work.

It was a unique moment in the history of French couture.

“1715 Doll”. Marcel Rochas (French, 1902–1955)

"1715 Doll". Marcel Rochas (French, 1902–1955)
“1715 Doll”. Marcel Rochas (French, 1902–1955)

“1733 Doll”. Jean Bader (French)

"1733 Doll". Jean Bader (French)
“1733 Doll”. Jean Bader (French)

“1755 Doll”. A. Reichert (French)

"1755 Doll". A. Reichert (French)
“1755 Doll”. A. Reichert (French)

“1774 Doll”. Jean Dessès (French (born Egypt), Alexandria 1904–1970 Athens)

"1774 Doll". Jean Dessès (French (born Egypt), Alexandria 1904–1970 Athens)
“1774 Doll”. Jean Dessès (French (born Egypt), Alexandria 1904–1970 Athens)

“1779 Doll”. Lucille Manguin

"1779 Doll". Lucille Manguin
“1779 Doll”. Lucille Manguin

“1785 Doll”. Maggy Rouff (French, 1896–1971)

"1785 Doll". Maggy Rouff (French, 1896–1971)
“1785 Doll”. Maggy Rouff (French, 1896–1971)

“1787 Doll”. Mendel

"1787 Doll". Mendel
“1787 Doll”. Mendel

“1791 Doll”. Martial & Armand

"1791 Doll". Martial & Armand
“1791 Doll”. Martial & Armand

“1808 Doll”. Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)

"1808 Doll". Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)
“1808 Doll”. Madame Grès (Alix Barton) (French, Paris 1903–1993 Var region)

“1820 Doll”. House of Patou (French, founded 1919)

"1820 Doll". House of Patou (French, founded 1919)
“1820 Doll”. House of Patou (French, founded 1919)

“1828 Doll”. Henriette Beaujeu (French)

"1828 Doll". Henriette Beaujeu (French)
“1828 Doll”. Henriette Beaujeu (French)

“1832 Doll”. Marcelle Dormoy (French)

"1832 Doll". Marcelle Dormoy (French)
“1832 Doll”. Marcelle Dormoy (French)

“1866 Doll”. Marcelle Chaumont (French)

"1866 Doll". Marcelle Chaumont (French)
“1866 Doll”. Marcelle Chaumont (French)

“1867 Doll”. Jacques Fath (French, 1912–1954)

"1867 Doll". Jacques Fath (French, 1912–1954)
“1867 Doll”. Jacques Fath (French, 1912–1954)

“1873 Doll”. Madeleine Vramant (French)

"1873 Doll". Madeleine Vramant (French)
“1873 Doll”. Madeleine Vramant (French)

“1884 Doll”. Nina Ricci (French, 1883–1970)

"1884 Doll". Nina Ricci (French, 1883–1970)
“1884 Doll”. Nina Ricci (French, 1883–1970)

“1892 Doll”. Germaine Lecomte

"1892 Doll". Germaine Lecomte
“1892 Doll”. Germaine Lecomte

“1896 Doll”. Bruyère (French, founded 1928)

"1896 Doll". Bruyère (French, founded 1928)
“1896 Doll”. Bruyère (French, founded 1928)

“1902 Doll”. Robert Piguet (French, born Switzerland, 1901–1953)

"1902 Doll". Robert Piguet (French, born Switzerland, 1901–1953)
“1902 Doll”. Robert Piguet (French, born Switzerland, 1901–1953)

“1906 Doll”. Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)

"1906 Doll". Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
“1906 Doll”. Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)

References
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Art for the Day – Daniel Ridgway Knight

More than 100 years ago, high above the banks of the Seine River in Rolleboise, France, Daniel Ridgway Knight set up his easel to paint working women in the fields, vineyards, and gardens surrounding the beautiful valley.

Today, if you were to sit and have lunch at the restaurant of Hotel Domain de la Corniche, you would be overlooking the same stretch of river depicted in several of Ridgway Knight’s paintings.

Hotel Domain de la Corniche
Hotel Domain de la Corniche

Born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1839, Knight trained in Paris under Gleyre at the École des Beaux-Arts. Gleyre taught a number of prominent artists, including Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Whistler.

After some years working under Meissonier, a painter of immensely detailed Napoleonic military scenes, Knight bought a house and studio in Poissy on the Seine.

Winning several awards at the Paris Salon, the Exposition Universelle, 1889, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Daniel Ridway Knight is best remembered for his soulful depictions of women going about their daily work in and around the Seine River valley—sometimes stopping to talk, to rest, and to dream.

A Garden above the Seine, Rolleboise by Daniel Ridgway Knight
A Garden above the Seine, Rolleboise by Daniel Ridgway Knight
A Field of Flowers by Daniel Ridgway Knight
A Field of Flowers by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Women Washing Clothes by a Stream by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898
Women Washing Clothes by a Stream by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898
Watering the Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1912
Watering the Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1912
Two Women Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Two Women Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Three Women in a Landscape by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1881
Three Women in a Landscape by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1881
The Siesta by Daniel Ridgway Knight - 1882
The Siesta by Daniel Ridgway Knight – 1882
The Sewing Circle by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Sewing Circle by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Seine at Vernon by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Seine at Vernon by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Rose Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Rose Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Meeting by Daniel Ridgway Knight, c. 1888
The Meeting by Daniel Ridgway Knight, c. 1888
The Honeymoon Breakfast by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Honeymoon Breakfast by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Flower Boat by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Flower Boat by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Grape Harvest by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
The Grape Harvest by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
The Dancing Lesson by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Dancing Lesson by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Madeleine in a wheat field by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Madeleine in a wheat field by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
The Conversation by Daniel Ridgway Knight
The Conversation by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Spring Blossoms by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Spring Blossoms by Daniel Ridgway Knight. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Reverie by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1866
Reverie by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1866
Picking Flowers by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Picking Flowers by Daniel Ridgway Knight
On the Terrace by Daniel Ridgway Knight
On the Terrace by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Mending by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Mending by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Julia on the Terrace by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1909
Julia on the Terrace by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1909
In the garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898
In the garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898
In Her Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
In Her Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Hailing the Ferry by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1888
Hailing the Ferry by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1888
Girl by a Stream, Flanders by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1890
Girl by a Stream, Flanders by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1890
Flower Girls by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Flower Girls by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Fishing by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Far Away Thoughts by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Far Away Thoughts by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daydreaming by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daydreaming by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daydreaming by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Daydreaming by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Contemplation by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Contemplation by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Confidence by Daniel Ridgway Knight - circa 1899
Confidence by Daniel Ridgway Knight – circa 1899
Coffee in the Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Coffee in the Garden by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Chrysanthemums by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Chrysanthemums by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1898. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Brittany Girl Overlooking Stream by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Brittany Girl Overlooking Stream by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Baiting the Hook by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Breakfast in the Fields by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1884. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Breakfast in the Fields by Daniel Ridgway Knight, 1884. Image courtesy of Rehs Galleries, Inc., NYC
Autumn Evening by Daniel Ridgway Knight
Autumn Evening by Daniel Ridgway Knight
A Pensive Moment by Daniel Ridgway Knight
A Pensive Moment by Daniel Ridgway Knight

40 Fine Art Paintings by Émile Vernon

Émile Vernon (1872-1919) was a French fine arts painter.

Studying at the School of Fine Arts Tours in the Loire Valley, France, he won his first design award in 1888.

Encouraged by this success, he moved to Paris to train under William Bouguereau and Auguste Trouphème in the School of Fine Arts.

Specializing in watercolors, Vernon loved to paint women and children using bright colors in cheerful rural and bucolic settings.

Spring by Emile Vernon, 1913
Spring by Emile Vernon, 1913
Beauty with Flowers Emile Vernon, c. 1910
Beauty with Flowers Emile Vernon, c. 1910
Breton Children Reading Emile Vernon c, 1913
Breton Children Reading Emile Vernon c, 1913
Best of Friends Emile Vernon - 1917
Best of Friends Emile Vernon – 1917
Waiting for the Vet by Emile Vernon - 1919
Waiting for the Vet by Emile Vernon – 1919
Click to continue with more beautiful paintings from Émile Vernon…
Under the Cherry Tree by Emile Vernon - 1899
Under the Cherry Tree by Emile Vernon – 1899
Three Sisters by Emile Vernon - 1912
Three Sisters by Emile Vernon – 1912
Three Graces by Emile Vernonm, Date unknown
Three Graces by Emile Vernonm, Date unknown
The Three Graces by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
The Three Graces by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
A Sweet Glance by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
A Sweet Glance by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
A Summer Rose by Emile Vernon - 1913
A Summer Rose by Emile Vernon – 1913
Summer by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Summer by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
Roses by Emile Vernon - 1908
Roses by Emile Vernon – 1908
The Rose Girl by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
The Rose Girl by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
Pretty In Pink by Emile Vernon - 1909
Pretty In Pink by Emile Vernon – 1909
Portrait of a Woman by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Portrait of a Woman by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
Portrait of a Lady by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Portrait of a Lady by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
Portrait of a Girl by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Portrait of a Girl by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
New Friends by Emile Vernon, 1917
New Friends by Emile Vernon, 1917
The Little Kittens by Emile Vernon, 1919
The Little Kittens by Emile Vernon, 1919
Her most precious by Emile Vernon - 1919
Her most precious by Emile Vernon – 1919
Girl with Cherry by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girl with Cherry by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girls by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girls by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girl Holding a Nest by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girl Holding a Nest by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Girl by the Lemon Tree by Emile Vernon, 1913
Girl by the Lemon Tree by Emile Vernon, 1913
The Flower Garden by Emile Vernon, 1915
The Flower Garden by Emile Vernon, 1915
The Fancy Bonnet by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
The Fancy Bonnet by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
An Elegant Lady With A Yellow Rose by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
An Elegant Lady With A Yellow Rose by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Young Girl with Anemones by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Young Girl with Anemones by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Young Girl with a Rose by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Young Girl with a Rose by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
A young lady with a mirror by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
A young lady with a mirror by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady with a Bouquet of Roses by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Elegant Lady by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Country Summer by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Country Summer by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
The Cherry Bonnet by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
The Cherry Bonnet by Emile Vernon, Date unknown
Cherry Blossom by Emile Vernon, 1916
Cherry Blossom by Emile Vernon, 1916
The Mischievous Puppy by Emile Vernon, 1915
The Mischievous Puppy by Emile Vernon, 1915
Young Woman with a Dragonfly by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
Young Woman with a Dragonfly by Emile Vernon – Date unknown
The Pink Rose by Emile Vernon - Date unknown
The Pink Rose by Emile Vernon – Date unknown

Victorian Artist John Brett

John Brett

John Brett (1831 – 1902). British.

Known for his highly detailed landscapes and influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite movement, John Brett studied under James Duffield Harding and Richard Redgrave before joining the Royal Academy in 1853.

Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite ideals on scientific landscape painting he visited Switzerland in 1858 where he painted The Val d’Aosta (below).

The “Stonebreaker” became his most celebrated work, depicting a young boy smashing stones in a brightly-lit and highly detailed landscape. Embodying a moral message about child labor, the Stonebreaker was lauded by famed art critic John Ruskin.

Travelling the Mediterranean during the 1860s, Brett painted many landscapes with scientific precision.

In the 1870s and 1880s, he painted scenes of Cornwall, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, and most notably the coastline of Wales.

John Brett Val d'Aosta 1858
Val d’Aosta 1858
John Brett - The Stonebreaker, 1858
John Brett – The Stonebreaker, 1858
John Brett - Near Sorrento, 1863
Near Sorrento, 1863
Brett, John - Massa, Bay of Naples, 1864
Massa, Bay of Naples, 1864
John Brett - February in the Isle of Wight, 1866
John Brett – February in the Isle of Wight, 1866
Net Day at St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. - 1872
Net Day at St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1872
View on the Beach at St. Agnes by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1873)
View on the Beach at St. Agnes by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1873)
St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. - 1872
St. Ives by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1872
John Brett - Southern Coast of Guernsey, 1875
John Brett – Southern Coast of Guernsey, 1875
John Brett - Caernarvon, 1875
John Brett – Caernarvon, 1875
St Ives Bay by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1878)
St Ives Bay by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. (1878)
Porth Gwarra by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. - 1880
Porth Gwarra by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1880
Summer Mists off Tol Pedn by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. - 1880
Summer Mists off Tol Pedn by John Edward Brett, A.R.A. – 1880
John Brett - Man of War Rocks, Coast of Dorset, 1884
John Brett – Man of War Rocks, Coast of Dorset, 1884
John Brett - Seascape, 1887
John Brett – Seascape, 1887
John Brett - A North-West Gale off the Longships Lighthouse, 1902
John Brett – A North-West Gale off the Longships Lighthouse, 1902

Dante Gabriel Rossetti—art meets poetry

Dante Gabriel Rossetti—even his name is a work of art.

It is said that to understand him, we must first understand that although he is best remembered for his paintings, he was first and foremost a poet.

O lay your lips against your hand
And let me feel your breath through it,
While through the sense your song shall fit
The soul to understand.



Early life

Born in London to an English mother and Italian father in 1828, Rossetti’s childhood was suffused in the atmosphere of medieval Italy. As a literary scholar, his father obsessed over the works of Dante and spoke mostly Italian.

Home schooled, Rossetti often read the Bible, along with the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and William Blake. He became fascinated with the Gothic horror stories of Edgar Allan Poe.

These influences would become a major source of artistic inspiration for Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti in his early twenties
Dante Gabriel Rossetti in his early twenties

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Attending preparatory art school followed by the Royal Academy, Rossetti soon grew tired of the mechanistic approach to teaching and preferred to stay at home painting what he desired.

He saw early Victorian art as trivial, sentimental and unimaginative and yearned for a return to pre-Renaissance purity of style and aim.

Feminine Beauty

Poetry and image are closely intertwined in Rossetti’s work. Appreciating female beauty through art was sacred to him. In both poetry and painting, he explored his own fantasies and conceptions about earthly and spiritual love through the theme of female beauty.

In 1850, Rossetti met Elizabeth Siddal, who would become an important model for the Pre-Raphaelite painters. First spotted by a friend in a London hat shop, she became Rossetti’s muse, passion, and eventually his wife.

Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1882
Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1882

When vain desire at last and vain regret
Go hand in hand to death, and all is vain,
What shall assuage the unforgotten pain
And teach the unforgetful to forget?

Join us in the Gallery as we listen to DeBussey’s La damoiselle élue—influenced by the life and work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Bocca Baciata by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1859
Bocca Baciata by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1859
Helen of Troy by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1863
Helen of Troy by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1863
Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864
Beata Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864
The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1865
The Blue Bower by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1865
Sybilla Palmifera by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1866-1870
Sybilla Palmifera by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1866-1870
Monna Vanna by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1866
Monna Vanna by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1866
Regina Cordium by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866
Regina Cordium by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866
Monna Rosa by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1867
Monna Rosa by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1867
The Loving Cup by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867
The Loving Cup by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1867
A Christmas Carol by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1867
A Christmas Carol by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1867
Reverie by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1868
Reverie by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1868
Blue Silk Dress (Jane Morris)
Blue Silk Dress (Jane Morris)
Veronica Veronese by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1872
Veronica Veronese by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1872
Mariana by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1870
Mariana by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1870
The Bower Meadow by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1872
The Bower Meadow by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1872
Pandora by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1871
Pandora by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1871
Aurelia (Fazio's Mistress)
Aurelia (Fazio’s Mistress)
Snowdrops by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1873
Snowdrops by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1873
A Triple Portrait of May Morris by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1874
A Triple Portrait of May Morris by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1874
Damsel of the Sanct Grael by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1874
Damsel of the Sanct Grael by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1874
A Sea-Spell by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1877
A Sea-Spell by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1877
A Vision of Fiammetta by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1878
A Vision of Fiammetta by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1878
La Donna Della Finestra by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1879
La Donna Della Finestra by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1879
The Day Dream by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1880
The Day Dream by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1880
Mnemosyne by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1881
Mnemosyne by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – 1881
Joan of Arc by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1882
Joan of Arc by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1882

References
Wikipedia.org
VictorianWeb.org
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

American Impressionist Painter Childe Hassam: A 5-Minute Guide

Childe Hassam

Childe Hassam

One of the greatest American Impressionist painters, Frederick Childe Hassam produced over 3000 works in oil, watercolor, etchings, and lithographs.

Pronounced “child HASS’m”, he demonstrated a talent for drawing and watercolor while at primary school.

Childe Hassam illustration for St Nicholas Children's magazine
Childe Hassam illustration for St Nicholas Children’s magazine

At 17, he turned down an offer from his uncle to pay for a Harvard education in favor of working as a wood engraver.

Proving to be a proficient draftsman, he produced engravings for letterheads and newspapers before becoming a freelance illustrator with his own studio.

Read more …

Specializing in illustrations for children’s stories in magazines such as Harper’s Weekly and Scribner’s Monthly, he held his first solo exhibition in Boston in 1883.

Advised by a friend at the Boston Art Club, he took a two-month “study trip” to Europe in the summer of 1883.

Forming the basis of his next exhibition in 1884 were 67 watercolors from his trip to Europe.

Influenced by the Barbizon school—an art movement for Realism in the context of the Romantic Movement—Hassam focused on the use of atmosphere and light in his landscapes.

Canal Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1883
Canal Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1883
Woodland Pond by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1882
Woodland Pond by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1882

French master Jean-Léon Gérôme had these words of advice for Childe Hassam, which he never forgot:

Look around you and paint what you see … render the intense life which surrounds you.
Church Procession, Spanish Steps by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1883
Church Procession, Spanish Steps by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1883

Taking to heart the words of a noted Boston critic “very pleasant, but not art”, in 1886 Hassam returned to Europe with his wife, settling in a studio in Paris at the center of the art community.

Paris Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam
Paris Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam

Here, he studied figure drawing and painting at the prestigious Académie Julian but found the teaching stifling,

the Julian academy is the personification of routine … crushing all originality out of growing men. It tends to put them in a rut and it keeps them in it.

Using an innovative change of palette, Hassam painted two versions of Grand Prix Day in 1887. Inspired by the work of French Impressionists, he painted softer, more diffuse colors, full of light, with free brush strokes.

Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887-1888
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887-1888
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887
Grand Prix Day by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887

The completed works garnered attention back home in Boston, with one critic writing,

It is refreshing to note that Mr. Hassam, in the midst of so many good, bad, and indifferent art currents, seems to be paddling his own canoe with a good deal of independence and method. When his Boston pictures of three years ago…are compared with the more recent work…it may be seen how he has progressed.

Exhibiting four paintings at the Exposition Universelle of 1889 in Paris, he won a bronze medal, then moved back to the States to take up residence on New York’s Fifth Avenue, painting the genteel neighborhoods within walking distance of his apartment.

View of Broadway and Fifth Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1890
View of Broadway and Fifth Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1890
Spring Morning In The Heart Of The City by Childe Hassam, 1890
Spring Morning In The Heart Of The City by Childe Hassam, 1890
New York is the most beautiful city in the world. There is no boulevard in all Paris that compares to our own Fifth Avenue … the average American still fails to appreciate the beauty of his own country.

Hassam’s career went from strength to strength, earning him as much as $6000 per painting in 1909 (equivalent to roughly $160,000 today).

As New York’s architecture changed, with skyscrapers supplanting stately mansions, Hassam lamented a simpler time when gracious horse-drawn carriages ferried people up and down Fifth Avenue.

Fifth Avenue In Winter by Childe Hassam, 1919
Fifth Avenue In Winter by Childe Hassam, 1919

He tired of the bustling subways, elevated trains, and motor buses, and traveled to Oregon, with its high desert, mountains , and rugged coastline.

Ecola Beach, Oregon by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1904
Ecola Beach, Oregon by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1904

In later life, Hassam produced some of his most distinctive paintings. Inspired by America’s involvement in World War One, he painted the “Flag series” in 1916. Being an avid Francophile, so enthusiastically did he embrace the war effort to help protect French culture that he even volunteered to record the war in Europe, but was declined.

Avenue of the Allies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1918
Avenue of the Allies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1918

Chosen by Barack Obama to hang in the Oval Office, the Avenue in the Rain is Hassam’s most famous work from the Flag series. As though viewing through a rain-smeared window, Hassam’s broad brushstrokes make a patriotic statement without overt reference to parades or war.

The Avenue in the Rain bu Childe Hassam, 1917
The Avenue in the Rain bu Childe Hassam, 1917

In his final years, he received a Gold Medal of Honor for lifetime achievement among other awards. However, for denouncing the avant-garde modern art trends of Cubism and Surrealism, some critics viewed him as static and repetitive.

He died peacefully in East Hampton at the age of 75, his legacy, an “abandoned genius” from a bygone time.

In the 1960s and 70s, the resurgence of interest in Impressionism saw his work fetch stratospheric prices.

Home Sweet Home Cottage, East Hampton by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1916
Home Sweet Home Cottage, East Hampton by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1916

More beautiful paintings from Childe Hassam

Lady in Flower Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1891
Lady in Flower Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1891
Woman with a Parasol in a Park by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1891
Woman with a Parasol in a Park by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1891
Lady in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1897
Lady in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1897
The White Dory by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1895
The White Dory by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1895
Rainy Day, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1893
Rainy Day, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1893
July Night by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1898
July Night by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1898
Sunday Morning by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1897
Sunday Morning by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1897
Morning Light by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1914
Morning Light by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1914
Fire Opals by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1912
Fire Opals by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1912
Lilies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1910
Lilies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1910
Bleak House, Broadstairs by Frederick Childe Hassam
Bleak House, Broadstairs by Frederick Childe Hassam
Ten Pound Island by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1896
Ten Pound Island by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1896
In Central Park by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1898
In Central Park by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1898
Parc Monceau, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1887-1895
Parc Monceau, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1887-1895
Conversation on the Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1892
Conversation on the Avenue by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1892
The Sea by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1892
The Sea by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1892
Promenade at Sunset, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888-1889
Promenade at Sunset, Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888-1889
New York Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1890
New York Street Scene by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1890
Evelyn Benedict at the Isles of Shoals by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1890
Evelyn Benedict at the Isles of Shoals by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1890
Twilight by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1888
Twilight by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1888
Peonies by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Peonies by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
On the Balcony by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
On the Balcony by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
In the Luxembourg Gardens by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
In the Luxembourg Gardens by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
In the Sun by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
In the Sun by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Mrs. Hassam at Villiers-le-Bel by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Mrs. Hassam at Villiers-le-Bel by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Mrs. Hassam in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888
Mrs. Hassam in the Garden by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888
Spring (also known as The Artist's Sister) by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1885
Spring (also known as The Artist’s Sister) by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1885
After Breakfast by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1887
After Breakfast by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1887
Feeding Pigeons in the Piazza by Frederick Childe Hassam - circa 1883
Feeding Pigeons in the Piazza by Frederick Childe Hassam – circa 1883
Improvisation by Childe Hassam, 1899
Improvisation by Childe Hassam, 1899
Summer Sunlight (Isles of Shoals) by Childe Hassam, 1892
Summer Sunlight (Isles of Shoals) by Childe Hassam, 1892

8 Heavenly Austrian Ceiling Frescoes influenced by the Sistine Chapel

How could we begin without first mentioning the granddaddy of all ceiling frescoes that influenced so many others that followed—the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel exemplifies High Renaissance art—a period of exceptional creativity during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Nine scenes from the Book of Genesis take center stage, of which The Creation of Adam is the best known, deservedly enjoying an iconic status equaled only by Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The left half of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo in 1508 and restored in 1994
The left half of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo in 1508 and restored in 1994

Anyone who’s tried to paint a ceiling at home will know it’s back-breaking work. All that looking up. But imagine painting that way for 4 years solid!

Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo didn’t lie on his back but painted in a standing position.

The work was carried out in extremely uncomfortable conditions, from his having to work with his head tilted upwards.Giorgio Vasari (1511 - 1574)

The ceiling rises to 44 ft (13.4 m) above the main floor, so, what does a 16th-century sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer do to reach such lofty heights?

You guessed it—he designed his own scaffold. But instead of building from the floor up, he saved on wood by making a flat platform on brackets built out from holes in the wall near the top of the windows.

Besides his own heavenly creations, Michelangelo would inspire later artists like Austrian Paul Troger (1698 – 1762), whose illusionistic ceiling frescoes are notable for their dramatic vitality of movement and light color palette.

Here are 8 examples of heavenly baroque frescoes from 18th-century Austria.

1. Melk Abbey, Austria

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine abbey originally founded in 1089 overlooking the town of Melk in Lower Austria.

Today’s Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736.

Ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall of Melk Abbey by Paul Troger, 1730. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall of Melk Abbey by Paul Troger, 1730. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco in the central arch of the nave at Melk Abbey Church by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1722) Via triumphalis of St. Benedict. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco in the central arch of the nave at Melk Abbey Church by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1722) Via triumphalis of St. Benedict. Credit Uoaei1
Frescos of dome and ceiling in Melk Abbey Church (Austria) by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1716-22). Credit Uoaei1
Frescoes of dome and ceiling in Melk Abbey Church (Austria) by Johann Michael Rottmayr (1716-22). Credit Uoaei1
Symbolic illustration of the history of Melk Abbey, 1745. Credit Uoaei1
Symbolic illustration of the history of Melk Abbey, 1745. Credit Uoaei1

2. Herzogenburg Monastery, Austria

The Augustinian Herzogenburg Monastery in Lower Austria was founded in 1112 by Augustinian Canons, and refurbished in the Baroque style in 1714.

Ceiling frescos in Herzogenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (left fresco) and Bartolomeo Altomonte. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling frescoes in Herzogenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (left fresco) and Bartolomeo Altomonte. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco in the Herzogenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran The Miracle of Pentecost. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco in the Herzogenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran The Miracle of Pentecost. Credit Uoaei1

3. Sonntagberg Basilica, Austria

Sonntagberg Basilica is a baroque church in Lower Austria, Built between 1706 and 1732, Pope Paul VI gave it the title Minor basilica in 1964.

Ceiling frescos in Sonntagberg Basilica (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (1738–43). Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling frescoes in Sonntagberg Basilica (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (1738–43). Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling frescos in the nave and the dome of Sonntagberg Basilica (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (1738–43). Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling frescoes in the nave and the dome of Sonntagberg Basilica (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (1738–43). Credit Uoaei1

4. Altenburg Abbey, Austria

Altenburg Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria. It suffered numerous invasions and attacks, and was destroyed by the Swedes in 1645.

The present Baroque abbey replaced the earlier Romanesque structure, and is said to be one of the finest in Austria.

Fresco of the north dome at the library of Altenburg Abbey (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1742) Theology and Jurisprudence. Credit Uoaei1
Fresco of the north dome at the library of Altenburg Abbey (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1742) Theology and Jurisprudence. Credit Uoaei1
Fresco in the dome of Altenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1733) The apocalyptic vision of St. John. Credit Uoaei1
Fresco in the dome of Altenburg Abbey Church (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1733) The apocalyptic vision of St. John. Credit Uoaei1

5. Seitenstetten Abbey, Austria

Originally founded in 1112, Seitenstetten Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria that was lavishly refurbished in the 18th century in the Baroque style.

Ceiling fresco of the Marble Hall at Seitenstetten Abbey (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1735) The Harmony between Religion and Science. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco of the Marble Hall at Seitenstetten Abbey (Lower Austria) by Paul Troger (1735) The Harmony between Religion and Science. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco of the Abbey's Staircase at Seitenstetten Abbey (Lower Austria) by Bartolomeo Altomonte (1744) Triumph of St. Benedict. Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling fresco of the Abbey’s Staircase at Seitenstetten Abbey (Lower Austria) by Bartolomeo Altomonte (1744) Triumph of St. Benedict. Credit Uoaei1

6. Jesuit Church, Austria

Also known as the University Church, the Jesuit Church is a two-storey, twin-tower church in Vienna, Austria. It was remodeled using Baroque principles in the early 18th century.

Jesuit Church, Dr.-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz, Vienna, Frescoes by Andrea Pozzo during his time in Vienna (1702-1709). Credit Uoaei1
Jesuit Church, Vienna, Austria. Frescoes by Andrea Pozzo during his time in Vienna (1702-1709). Credit Uoaei1

The first church in the Austrian market town of Maria Taferl was built around a shrine to the Holy Mother, which is the origin of the town’s name.

7. Maria Taferl Basilica, Austria

Built between 1660 and 1710, the baroque Maria Taferl Basilica features ornate gold leaf decoration and the frescoed ceiling shown below.

Ceiling fresco in the nave of Maria Taferl Basilica (Lower Austria) by Antonio Beduzzi (1714-1718) Glorification of St. Joseph, Credit Uoaei1
Ceiling frescoes in the nave of Maria Taferl Basilica (Lower Austria) by Antonio Beduzzi (1714-1718) Glorification of St. Joseph, Credit Uoaei1

8. Göttweig Abbey, Austria

Göttweig Abbey is a Benedictine monastery near Krems in Lower Austria.

Founded in the 11th century, the abbey burned down in 1718 and was rebuilt on a grander, more lavish scale.

The fresco decorating the imperial staircase (shown below) is considered a masterpiece of Austrian Baroque architecture.

Apotheosis of Emperor Charles VI by Paul Troger, 1739 in Göttweig Abbey, Austria. Credit Uoaei1
Apotheosis of Emperor Charles VI by Paul Troger, 1739 in Göttweig Abbey, Austria. Credit Uoaei1

30 Beautiful Paintings by Berthe Morisot

In 1894, famed art critic Gustave Geffroy described Berthe Morisot, Marie Bracquemond, and Mary Cassatt as “les trois grandes dames” (the three great ladies) of the Impressionist movement.

Born into a wealthy bourgeois family from Bourges, France, Berthe Morisot learnt how to paint at an early age, having private lessons along with her sisters.

As art students, Berthe and her sister Edma would spend hours in the Louvre copying the great works.

While marriage and family life ended Edma’s art career, Berthe continued to paint, and in 1864 at age 23, she exhibited at the prestigious Salon de Paris—the official, annual exhibition of the Académie des beaux-arts in Paris.

Then in 1874, she stopped exhibiting with the academy and joined the Impressionists, which included Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

Regarded as a “virtuoso colorist”, Berthe created a sense of space and depth with color, painting what she saw and experienced in everyday life. But there is a message in her work—one that tells a story of the class and gender restrictions of the 19th century.

Focusing on family life, her portraits often feature her own daughter, Julie, from her marriage to Édouard Manet’s brother, Eugène.

Portrait of Julie (Berthe's daughter) by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Portrait of Julie (Berthe’s daughter) by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Behind the Blinds by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Behind the Blinds by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Lilacs at Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1874
Lilacs at Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1874
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873
On a Bench by Berthe Morisot, 1889
On a Bench by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Woman and Child on a Balcony by Berthe Morisot, 1872
Woman and Child on a Balcony by Berthe Morisot, 1872
Studying the Violin by Berthe Morisot, 1893
Studying the Violin by Berthe Morisot, 1893
The Pink Dress by Berthe Morisot, c.1870
The Pink Dress by Berthe Morisot, c.1870
Young Girl with a Bird by Berthe Morisot, 1891
Young Girl with a Bird by Berthe Morisot, 1891
Young Woman Watering a Shrub by Berthe Morisot, 1876
Young Woman Watering a Shrub by Berthe Morisot, 1876
The Basket Chair by Berthe Morisot, 1882
The Basket Chair by Berthe Morisot, 1882
In the Dining Room by Berthe Morisot, 1875
In the Dining Room by Berthe Morisot, 1875
Lucie Leon at the Piano by Berthe Morisot, 1892
Lucie Leon at the Piano by Berthe Morisot, 1892
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869
After Luncheon by Berthe Morisot, 1881
After Luncheon by Berthe Morisot, 1881
Psyché by Berthe Morisot, 1875
Psyché by Berthe Morisot, 1875
The Lake in the Bois de Boulogne by Berthe Morisot, 1879
The Lake in the Bois de Boulogne by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Eugene Manet and His Daughter in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Eugene Manet and His Daughter in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Woman Wearing Gloves ny Berthe Morisot, 1885
Woman Wearing Gloves ny Berthe Morisot, 1885
On the Veranda by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Veranda by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Lake by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Lake by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Doll on a Porch by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Doll on a Porch by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1883
The Fable by Berthe Morisot, 1883
The Fable by Berthe Morisot, 1883
On the Balcony of Eugene Manet's Room at Bougival by Berthe Morisot, 1881
On the Balcony of Eugene Manet’s Room at Bougival by Berthe Morisot, 1881
Young Woman Picking Oranges by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Young Woman Picking Oranges by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Pasie Sewing in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1882
Pasie Sewing in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1882
Young Woman and Child, Avenue du Bois by Berthe Morisot, 1894
Young Woman and Child, Avenue du Bois by Berthe Morisot, 1894

20 Romantic Dreamscapes from 19th Century artist Frederic Edwin Church

Frederic Edwin Church loved to dream. He dreamed of mountains, waterfalls, and sunsets. He dreamed of exotic lands shrouded in mist, of waves crashing against craggy cliffs, of reflections in the stillness of dawn’s first light.

Church was a pupil of Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School of American landscape painters—an art movement influenced by romanticism.

Romanticism was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment that emphasized an emotional connection with nature. Romantic paintings used a luminous quality of light to convey idealized scenes depicting the richness and beauty of nature.

Church shows us the wild, untamed frontier landscapes of an unsettled America that were fast disappearing and the dramatic natural wonders he experienced on his travels around the world.

We are reminded of just how small we are in comparison with the magnificence of nature.

Morning in the Tropics by Frederic Edwin Church, 1858
Morning in the Tropics by Frederic Edwin Church, 1858
A Country Home by Frederic Edwin Church, 1854
A Country Home by Frederic Edwin Church, 1854
Landscape in the Adirondacks by Frederic Edwin Church
Landscape in the Adirondacks by Frederic Edwin Church
The Monastery of San Pedro by Frederic Edwin Church, 1879
The Monastery of San Pedro by Frederic Edwin Church, 1879
Landscape in Greece by Frederic Edwin Church, 1873
Landscape in Greece by Frederic Edwin Church, 1873
View in Pittsford, Vt. by Frederic Edwin Church, 1848
View in Pittsford, Vt. by Frederic Edwin Church, 1848
Twilight in the Adirondacks by Frederic Edwin Church
Twilight in the Adirondacks by Frederic Edwin Church
The River of Light by Frederic Edwin Church, 1877
The River of Light by Frederic Edwin Church, 1877
Niagara Falls from the American Side by Frederic Edwin Church, 1867
Niagara Falls from the American Side by Frederic Edwin Church, 1867
The Natural Bridge, Virginia by Frederic Edwin Church, 1852
The Natural Bridge, Virginia by Frederic Edwin Church, 1852
The Falls of Tequendama, Near Bogota, New Granada by Frederic Edwin Church, 1852
The Falls of Tequendama, Near Bogota, New Granada by Frederic Edwin Church, 1852
Coast Scene, Mount Desert by Frederic Edwin Church, 1863
Coast Scene, Mount Desert by Frederic Edwin Church, 1863
Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church, 1855
Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church, 1855
New England Scenery by Frederic Edwin Church, 1851
New England Scenery by Frederic Edwin Church, 1851
South American Landscape by Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
South American Landscape by Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
Scene on the Catskill Creek, New York by Frederic Edwin Church, 1847
Scene on the Catskill Creek, New York by Frederic Edwin Church, 1847
View of Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
View of Cotopaxi by Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
Syria by the Sea by Frederic Edwin Church, 1873
Syria by the Sea by Frederic Edwin Church, 1873
Konigsee, Bavaria by Frederic Edwin Church, 1868
Konigsee, Bavaria by Frederic Edwin Church, 1868
The Parthenon by Frederic Edwin Church, 1871
The Parthenon by Frederic Edwin Church, 1871

The following content contains Amazon affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thanks for supporting our work.

40 Pissarro Paintings of French Country Life

Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) loved to paint rural scenes from nature.

He loved to express the beauty and truth of nature as it exists in its purest form without adulteration.

Preferring to finish paintings outdoors “en plein air” in a single sitting, it gave his work a more realistic feel.

This is how he explained his technique of painting to a student:

“Work at the same time upon sky, water, branches, ground, keeping everything going on an equal basis and unceasingly rework until you have got it. Paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression.”

Blossoming trees, light reflections in water, flowering gardens, and village life—Pissarro captured the mood of changing seasons and times of day.

Let Pissarro lift your mood—simply scroll and enjoy!

Apple Trees, Sunset, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1896
Apple Trees, Sunset, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1896
The Banks of the Oise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
The Banks of the Oise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
Morning, Sun Effect, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1899
Morning, Sun Effect, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1899
Morning, Autumn Sunlight, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Morning, Autumn Sunlight, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Spring Morning, Cloudy, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Spring Morning, Cloudy, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1900
Vegetable Garden in Eragny, Morning by Camille Pissarro, 1901
Vegetable Garden in Eragny, Morning by Camille Pissarro, 1901
Road along the Loing canal by Camille Pissarro
Road along the Loing canal by Camille Pissarro
Fields by Camille Pissarro, 1877
Fields by Camille Pissarro, 1877
Les mathurins, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
Les mathurins, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
The Garden at Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
The Garden at Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
The Vegetable Garden with Trees in Blossom, Spring, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
The Vegetable Garden with Trees in Blossom, Spring, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1877
Resting in the woods Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1878
Resting in the woods Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1878
A Path in the Woods, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879
A Path in the Woods, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879
A Street in Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879
A Street in Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879
Cottages at Auvers, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879
Cottages at Auvers, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1879

A Street in Auvers (Thatched Cottage and Cow) by Camille Pissarro, 1880
A Street in Auvers (Thatched Cottage and Cow) by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Landscape at Chaponval by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Landscape at Chaponval by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Le Valhermeil, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Le Valhermeil, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Sunset at Valhermeil, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Sunset at Valhermeil, near Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1880
Kitchen Gardens, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1881
Kitchen Gardens, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro, 1881
View Towards Pontoise Prison, in Spring by Camille Pissarro, 1881
View Towards Pontoise Prison, in Spring by Camille Pissarro, 1881
The Snack, Child and Young peasant at Rest by Camille Pissarro, 1882
The Snack, Child and Young peasant at Rest by Camille Pissarro, 1882
Young Woman and Child at the Well by Camille Pissarro, 1882
Young Woman and Child at the Well by Camille Pissarro, 1882
Landscape at Osny near watering by Camille Pissarro, 1883
Landscape at Osny near watering by Camille Pissarro, 1883
Little Bridge on the Voisne, Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1883
Little Bridge on the Voisne, Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1883
View of a Farm in Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1883
View of a Farm in Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1883
A Servant Seated in the Garden at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
A Servant Seated in the Garden at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
Old Houses at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
Old Houses at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
Apple Trees in Flower, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1895
Apple Trees in Flower, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1895
The Banks of the Epte at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
The Banks of the Epte at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
The Tedder by Camille Pissarro, 1884
The Tedder by Camille Pissarro, 1884
View of Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
View of Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1884
Shepherdesses by Camille Pissarro, 1887
Shepherdesses by Camille Pissarro, 1887
Mirbeau's Garden, the Terrace by Camille Pissarro, 1892
Mirbeau’s Garden, the Terrace by Camille Pissarro, 1892
Flowering Plum Tree, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1894
Flowering Plum Tree, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1894
Morning, Flowering Apple Trees, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1898
Morning, Flowering Apple Trees, Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1898
The Artist's Garden at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1898
The Artist’s Garden at Eragny by Camille Pissarro, 1898
Apple Trees and Poplars in the Setting Sun by Camille Pissarro, 1901
Apple Trees and Poplars in the Setting Sun by Camille Pissarro, 1901
A Field in Varengeville by Camille Pissarro, 1899
A Field in Varengeville by Camille Pissarro, 1899
Landscape with Strollers Relaxing under the Trees by Camille Pissarro, 1872
Landscape with Strollers Relaxing under the Trees by Camille Pissarro, 1872

30 Romantic Russian Paintings of Ships at Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky

Ivan Aivazovsky (1817 – 1900) loved the sea. Considered one of the greatest marine artists in history, during his 60-year career he created an astonishing 6,000 beautiful paintings.

Sweeping seascapes, golden sunsets, moonlit nights—Aivazovsky surprises and delights.

He paints mighty ships of the line ploughing through rough waters at full sail, or drifting in the stillness of a calm sea.

He captures the grandeur of the Imperial Russian fleet at anchor in the Black Sea ports.

He caresses the canvas with delicate brushwork and translucent layers of diffuse light.

Warmed by the rising sun, great buildings appear from behind morning mists. Anchored tall ships sit shrouded in glowing fog. Incandescent moonlight shimmers across the calm waters of Black Sea bays.

So admired was his work by Russians, that the saying “worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush” described something “ineffably lovely.”

Press “play” to add atmosphere to your sea voyage as you scroll through Aivazovsky’s beautiful paintings.

Sunset in Crimea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1865
Sunset in Crimea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1865
The Bay Golden Horn by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1845
The Bay Golden Horn by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1845
Parade of the Black Sea Fleet by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Parade of the Black Sea Fleet by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Sunset - Ivan Aivazovsky, 1866
Sunset – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1866
Near Crimean coast - Ivan Aivazovsky, 1890
Near Crimean coast – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1890
Shipwreck near Gurzuf - Ivan Aivazovsky, 1898
Shipwreck near Gurzuf – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1898


Lunar night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1857
Lunar night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1857
Moon Path by Ivan Aivazovsky
Moon Path by Ivan Aivazovsky
Reval - Ivan Aivazovsky, 1844
Reval – Ivan Aivazovsky, 1844
Calm Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1863
Calm Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1863
Ayu-Dag on a foggy day by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1853
Ayu-Dag on a foggy day by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1853


Morning at Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Morning at Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
The Bay of Naples at moonlit night. Vesuvius by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870
The Bay of Naples at moonlit night. Vesuvius by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870
The Great Roads at Kronstadt by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1836
The Great Roads at Kronstadt by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1836
The sunset on sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1848
The sunset on sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1848
Smolny Convent by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Smolny Convent by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Farewell by Ivan Aivazovsky
Farewell by Ivan Aivazovsky


Kerch by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1839
Kerch by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1839
The Bay of Naples in the morning by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1843
The Bay of Naples in the morning by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1843
Russian squadron on the raid of Sevastopol by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1846
Russian squadron on the raid of Sevastopol by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1846
View of Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
View of Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1850
The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1850
Ships at anchor by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851
Ships at anchor by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851


Windmill on the Sea Coast by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851
Windmill on the Sea Coast by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1851
Fishermen on the coast of the sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1852
Fishermen on the coast of the sea by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1852
Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky
Constantinople by Ivan Aivazovsky
Icebergs by Ivan Aivazovsky c.1860
Icebergs by Ivan Aivazovsky c.1860
A Lunar night on Capri by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1841
A Lunar night on Capri by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1841
Searching for Suvivors by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870
Searching for Suvivors by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1870
Tempest on the sea at night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849
Tempest on the sea at night by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1849


Contains affiliate links

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Further Reading
Discover more about Ivan Aivazovsky at Wikipedia.org

10 Sublime Springtime Paintings from Claude Monet

Claude Monet loved nature — and what better time to enjoy it than its reawakening after a long, cold winter.

He loved to paint “en plein air” — outdoors in the open air — enjoying the fresh light and colors of spring, with the scent of blossoms drifting on the spring breeze.

Here are 10 paintings by Monet that feature “spring” in the title.

Hope they put a spring in your step today!

Springtime in Giverny by Claude Monet
Springtime in Giverny by Claude Monet
Springtime by Claude Monet, 1886
Springtime by Claude Monet, 1886
The Spring in Argentuil by Claude Monet, 1872
The Spring in Argentuil by Claude Monet, 1872
Springtime by Claude Monet, 1872
Springtime by Claude Monet, 1872
The Mount Riboudet in Rouen at Spring by Claude Monet, 1872
The Mount Riboudet in Rouen at Spring by Claude Monet, 1872
Springtime at Giverny by Claude Monet, 1886
Springtime at Giverny by Claude Monet, 1886
Spring by the Seine by Claude Monet, 1875
Spring by the Seine by Claude Monet, 1875
An Orchard in Spring by Claude Monet, 1886
An Orchard in Spring by Claude Monet, 1886
The Spring at Vetheuil by Claude Monet, 1881
The Spring at Vetheuil by Claude Monet, 1881
Spring Landscape by Claude Monet, 1894
Spring Landscape by Claude Monet, 1894

30 Beautiful Impressionist Paintings from Frank Myers Boggs “An American in Paris”

The Impressionist painter Frank Myers Boggs loved France.

He loved the quays and monuments along the Seine in Paris. He loved the old harbor and the pretty townhouses in Honfleur. He loved the marina, the fish market, the stepped streets, and the tranquil squares of Marseille.

Myers Boggs was one of several young American artists who crossed the stormy seas of the North Atlantic in the 19th century to live, breathe, and paint the “old world” that is France.

He used a somber tonal palette and restrained impressionist technique to capture marine, harbor, and street scenes.

If you love moody skies, if you love the way golden afternoon light falls on old stone buildings, if you love the pale light of misty mornings, the stillness of reflections and cities filled with spires, then you will love the work of Frank Myers Boggs.

Here are 30 Impressionist paintings to feed your soul today.

The Seine at Paris with the Pont du Carousel by Frank Myers Boggs – 1896
Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
Pont St. Michel by Frank Myers Boggs
Pont St. Michel by Frank Myers Boggs
Market Day, Dreux by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur, France by Frank Myers Boggs
Honfleur, France by Frank Myers Boggs
Scene of a Street in front of the Church of Saint-Medard, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Scene of a Street in front of the Church of Saint-Medard, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Port of Marseille by Frank Myers Boggs
The Port of Marseille by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine, Quay Henri IV, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine, Quay Henri IV, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
In Port by Frank Myers Boggs
Grand Opera House, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Grand Opera House, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
French Harbor Scene by Frank Myers Boggs
French Harbor Scene by Frank Myers Boggs
The Church in Normandie by Frank Myers Boggs
The Church in Normandie by Frank Myers Boggs
Paris, the Porte Saint-Denis by Frank Myers Boggs - 1905
Paris, the Porte Saint-Denis by Frank Myers Boggs – 1905
The Harbor at Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
The Harbor at Honfleur by Frank Myers Boggs
View of Paris by Frank Myers Boggs - 1900
View of Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1900
View of Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs - 1898
View of Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs – 1898
The Pont Carousel, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs, 1889
Armistice Day, Paris, 1918 by Frank Boggs
Armistice Day, Paris, 1918 by Frank Boggs
On the Quai, Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs, 1880
On the Quai, Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs, 1880
The Seine at Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Moulin Rouge and the Rue Lepic as Seen from the Place Blanche by Frank Myers Boggs
The Seine and Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs
Our Lady of the Double Bridge by Frank Boggs, 1900
Le Quai de Valmy by Frank Boggs, 1905
Paris Street Scene by Frank Boggs, 1893
Paris Street Scene by Frank Boggs, 1893
Paris, the Seine, Quai Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs
Cathedral in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs – 1881
Street Scene in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs - 1878
Street Scene in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1878
Quai at the Seine in the Paris Moonlight by Frank Myers Boggs
Quai at the Seine in the Paris Moonlight by Frank Myers Boggs

30 Beautiful Paintings of the American West by Albert Bierstadt

German-born American artist Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902) was best known for his paintings of the American West.

A member of the mid 19th-century American art movement known as the Hudson River School, he focused on romantic landscapes.

Traveling westward with land surveyors and authors, he captured sketches to develop into large-scale paintings back at his New York studio.

In the 1860’s he became a member of the much-vaunted National Academy—an honorary association of American artists. He received medals as he traveled extensively in Europe and even had a private reception with Queen Victoria.

Demand for his work was so high that by 1865 his paintings were fetching $10,000 – $25,000 (worth approx $280,000 – $700,000 today)

When in 1872, his drawings of Yellowstone convinced Congress to pass the Yellowstone Park Bill, he was firmly established as the preeminent painter of the American West.

Bierstadt used light to glorify the romance of sweeping landscapes, depicting the untamed West as a land full of promise, of Manifest Destiny, and the American Dream.

Lake in the Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Lake in the Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Looking Up the Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Looking Up the Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Merced River, California by , (1830 - 1902)
Merced River, California by , (1830 – 1902)
Old Faithful by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 - 1902)
Old Faithful by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
Oregon Trail by Albert Bierstadt (1830 - 1902)
Oregon Trail by Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902)
Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Rocky Mountain Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Rocky Mountain Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1873
Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1873
Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rosalie by Albert Bierstadt - 1866
Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rosalie by Albert Bierstadt – 1866
Sunset over the River by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 - 1902)
Sunset over the River by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 – 1902)
The Campfire by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 - 1902)
The Campfire by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 – 1902)
The Falls of St. Anthony by Albert Bierstadt c.1887
The Falls of St. Anthony by Albert Bierstadt c.1887
The Golden Gate by Albert Bierstadt, 1900
The Golden Gate by Albert Bierstadt, 1900
The Kern River Valley (Sequoia National Park, California) by Albert Bierstadt, 1871
The Kern River Valley (Sequoia National Park, California) by Albert Bierstadt, 1871
The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak by Albert Bierstadt, 1863
The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak by Albert Bierstadt, 1863
Valley in Kings Canyon by Albert Bierstadt (1830 - 1902)
Valley in Kings Canyon by Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902)
Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Western Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 - 1902)
Western Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
Whyte's Lake, Estes Park, Colorado by Albert Bierstadt, 1877
Whyte’s Lake, Estes Park, Colorado by Albert Bierstadt, 1877
Yellowstone Falls by Albert Bierstadt, 1881
Yellowstone Falls by Albert Bierstadt, 1881
Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California by Albert Bierstadt, 1868
Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California by Albert Bierstadt, 1868
California Coast by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 - 1902)
California Coast by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
California Spring by Albert Bierstadt, 1875
California Spring by Albert Bierstadt, 1875
Cho-looke, the Yosemite Fall by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Cho-looke, the Yosemite Fall by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Emigrants Crossing the Plains by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
Emigrants Crossing the Plains by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
Estes Park, Colorado by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
Estes Park, Colorado by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
Gates of Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt c.1882
Gates of Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt c.1882
Geysers in Yellowstone by Albert Bierstadt, 1881
Geysers in Yellowstone by Albert Bierstadt, 1881
Indian Canoe by Albert Bierstadt, 1886
Indian Canoe by Albert Bierstadt, 1886
Indians spear fishing by Albert Bierstadt, 1862
Indians spear fishing by Albert Bierstadt, 1862

Interested in learning more?

Contains affiliate links:

When is a Night Watch not a Night Watch? When it’s Rembrandt’s most famous painting.

Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch’ is arguably the most famous painting in the Netherlands.

It was painted in 1642, during the Dutch Golden Age—a time when Dutch trade, science, military, and art led the world.

With the largest fleet of merchant ships, the Dutch Republic had built a vast colonial empire, and the County of Holland had become  the wealthiest and most urbanized region in the world.

Dutch East-India trading ship 1600
Dutch East-India trading ship 1600

This was a time when militia groups in Amsterdam—elite citizens who had helped defend the city against the Spanish Empire—paraded ceremoniously in public displays of civic pride.

It was one such group—the Amsterdam civic guard company of musketeers—that commissioned Rembrandt to paint “The Night Watch.”

But there’s something odd about the name “Night Watch”: it was not the name of the original painting.

By the end of the 18th century, the painting had accumulated so many layers of varnish and dirt, that it looked like the scene took place at night—and hence, it was misnamed “The Night Watch”.

The below image depicts how it might have looked when obscured by the build up of varnish.

The Nightwatch by Rembrandt, 1642 (simulated partially obscured by layers of varnish and dirt)
The Night Watch by Rembrandt, 1642 (simulated partially obscured by layers of varnish and dirt)

Art historians believe the original name would have been similar to other contemporary portraits, essentially named after the most prominent subjects in the painting: “Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh.”

When the painting was cleaned, it was clear that although still dark because of the Italian Baroque style, it depicted a daytime event.

The Nightwatch by Rembrandt, 1642 (cleaned)
The Night Watch by Rembrandt, 1642 (cleaned)

In the Night Watch, Rembrandt takes group portraits in a new and exciting direction. He imposes a hierarchy on the figures, throwing the two central figures in a glowing baroque light to make them stand out. It’s almost as though a spotlight is casting a dark shadow of the captain’s outstretched hand onto the dazzling pale yellow uniform of his lieutenant.

Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh
Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh

There is so much going on in the painting to emphasize movement. There is a story unfolding.

Skill with the musket was this militia group’s specialization, and we see three stages in the use of the firearm.

(Left) a militiaman pours gunpowder down the barrel of his musket; (top-right) a small helmeted figure fires his hun into the air—the plume of smoke seen behind the lietenant's hat; (bottom-right) a third figure blows out used powder from the musket pan.
(Left) a militiaman pours gunpowder down the barrel of his musket; (top-right) a small helmeted figure fires his gun into the air—the plume of smoke seen behind the lieutenant’s hat; (bottom-right) a third figure blows out used powder from the musket pan.

There’s an interesting narrative around the strangely glowing figure of a girl to the left of center. She is believed to be a mascot for the musketeers. At her waist, she carries a dead chicken, the prominent claws of which symbolize the emblem of the Musketeers.

The girl mascot carrying symbols of the Amsterdam Militia
The girl mascot carrying symbols of the Amsterdam Militia

Shown below is the chain of the Amsterdam Company of Arquebusiers (musketeers). Some of the links are decorated with claws—the emblem of the musketeers, as depicted by the little girl mascot above.

The Amsterdam Militia's Chain
The Amsterdam Militia’s Chain

The Musketeers would hold shooting contests, and the winner–the “king” of the guild–was allowed to wear the chain for a year.

Rembrandt skillfully involves the viewer in the story—almost as if the figures are interacting with us. The spear of the lieutenant and the Captain’s hand have almost a 3D quality and appear to enter the space of the onlooker.

As the dog barks at the excitement of the drumming (below, bottom left), and the standard-bearer hoists up the flag of the militia, the captain is calling together the group—to stop what they are doing and move forward.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the history lesson from Rembrandt as much as we have.

Click to see the real painting hanging in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam thanks to Google Maps

Sources
wikipedia.org.
Khan Academy.
Rembrandt’s Nightwatch: the Mystery Revealed by Georges Boka, Bernard Courteau.

20 Elegant Modern Women—the 19th-Century Paintings of Alfred Stevens

Alfred Stevens was one of Belgium’s leading 19th-century artists who specialized in paintings of fashionable young women in elegant interiors.

Read more …

As a young boy, Alfred Stevens (1823 – 1906) was surrounded by art: his father was an art collector and his grandparents ran a cafe in Brussels that was a meeting place for artists and writers.

At age 14, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and at 20 was admitted to the most prestigious art school in Paris—the École des Beaux-Arts.

By  1851, at the age of 28, three of his paintings were admitted to the Brussels Salon, the most exclusive art exhibition in Belgium. Two years later, he was awarded a medal at the Paris Salon—the most important art event in the world.

It was here, in Paris, that he would find fame and fortune painting elegant modern women.

Here are 20 exquisite paintings from Alfred Steven’s repertoire that show his meticulous attention to contemporary dress and decor.

Departing for the Promenade, by Alfred-Émile-Léopold Stevens, 1859
Departing for the Promenade, by Alfred-Émile-Léopold Stevens, 1859
La Parisienne Japonaise by Alfred Stevens, 1871
La Parisienne Japonaise by Alfred Stevens, 1871
Lady at a Window Feeding Birds by Alfred Stevens, 1859
Lady at a Window Feeding Birds by Alfred Stevens, 1859
Pleasant Letter by Alfred Stevens, 1860
Pleasant Letter by Alfred Stevens, 1860
The Lady in Pink by Alfred Stevens, 1867
The Lady in Pink by Alfred Stevens, 1867
In the Studio by Alfred Stevens, 1888
In the Studio by Alfred Stevens, 1888
The Japanese Mask by Alfred Stevens, 1877
The Japanese Mask by Alfred Stevens, 1877
In the Country by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
In the Country by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
After the Ball by Alfred Stevens, 1873
After the Ball by Alfred Stevens, 1873
Autumn Flowers by Alfred Stevens, 1866
Autumn Flowers by Alfred Stevens, 1866
News from Afar by Alfred Stevens, 1865
News from Afar by Alfred Stevens, 1865
The Letter by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
The Letter by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
At Home by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
At Home by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
The Happy Mother by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
The Happy Mother by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
Déjà by Alfred Stevens, 1863
Déjà by Alfred Stevens, 1863
Pensive Woman Near a Window by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
Pensive Woman Near a Window by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906
La Parisienne by Alfred Stevens, 1879
La Parisienne, 1879 by Alfred Stevens, 1879
Portrait of Baroness du Mesnil Saint-Front by Alfred Stevens, 1886
Portrait of Baroness du Mesnil Saint-Front by Alfred Stevens, 1886
Mother and Children by Alfred Stevens, 1882
Mother and Children by Alfred Stevens, 1882
The Blue Ribbon by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906 Credit Giacasso
The Blue Ribbon by Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906 Credit Giacasso

The Dancers of Degas

Ballerinas are to Degas as lilies are to Monet.

Art is not what you see, but what you make others seeEdgar Degas.
Dancers on Set by Edgar Degas, c.1880_inset 1

And “make us see” is what he does with exquisite aplomb. He renders the beauty of fleeting movement, of ballerinas in mid-performance, with a luminous quality. But he also captures the human side of ballerinas, in their simplest, most intimate moments—warming up, stretching at the bar, practicing positions, or talking in the dressing room.

At the ballet, Degas found himself. It satisfied his penchant for classical elegance and put to use his rigorous academic training from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris—one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious fine art schools.

He frequented the Palais Garnier—the home of the Paris Ballet and Opera, lurking in the wings and foyer hoping to befriend the influential patrons who might gain him access to the private world of ballerinas.

Mimed poetry, dream made visible.

Degas’s paintings of ballet performances capture the essence of what makes ballet special—the balance, poise, and precision of movement. A contemporary critic called ballet “mimed poetry, dream made visible.”

747px-Opera_Garnier_Stairway_2008

Degas became a familiar sight for the young ballerinas—some poor, dreaming of becoming the princesses of the stage. One said he “used to stand at the top or bottom of the many staircases . . . drawing the dancers as they rushed up and down.” He noticed everything—from the most difficult of choreographed sequences to the smallest errors—making notes as he went.

In later life, Degas became a recluse, believing that “the artist must live alone, and his private life must remain unknown“. His eyesight was failing him and he spent his last years, almost blind, wandering the streets of his beloved Paris.

He wrote to a friend,

with the exception of the heart, it seems to me that everything within me is growing old in proportion, and even this heart of mine has something artificial. The dancers have sewn it into a bag of pink satin, pink satin slightly faded, like their dancing shoes.

Like the dancing shoes, Degas himself faded away in September 1917, but his work lives on in brilliant color.

Listen to Steven Gutheinz as we marvel at the dancers of Degas.

The Dancing Class by Edgar Degas, 1871
The Dancing Class by Edgar Degas, 1871
Rehearsal of the Scene by Edgar Degas, 1872
Rehearsal of the Scene by Edgar Degas, 1872
Ballet School by Edgar Degas, 1873
Ballet School by Edgar Degas, 1873
The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, 1874
The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, 1874
The Rehearsal by Edgar Degas, c.1874
The Rehearsal by Edgar Degas, c.1874
The Rehearsal of the Ballet on Stage by Edgar Degas, 1874
The Rehearsal of the Ballet on Stage by Edgar Degas, 1874
Rehearsal on Stage by Edgar Degas, 1874
Rehearsal on Stage by Edgar Degas, 1874
Two Dancers in the Studio (also known as Dance School) by Edgar Degas, c.1875
Two Dancers in the Studio (also known as Dance School) by Edgar Degas, c.1875
Dancer Onstage with a Bouquet by Edgar Degas, c.1876
Dancer Onstage with a Bouquet by Edgar Degas, c.1876
Dancer on Point by Edgar Degas, c.1877
Dancer on Point by Edgar Degas, c.1877
Two Dancers on the Stage by Edgar Degas, 1877
Two Dancers on the Stage by Edgar Degas, 1877
Dancers Practicing at the Bar by Edgar Degas, 1877
Dancers Practicing at the Bar by Edgar Degas, 1877
Dancer Posing by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Dancer Posing by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Dancers by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Dancers by Edgar Degas, c.1878
The Dance Studio by Edgar Degas, c.1878
The Dance Studio by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Two Dancers Entering the Stage by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Two Dancers Entering the Stage by Edgar Degas, c.1878
Ballet Scene by Edgar Degas, 1879
Ballet Scene by Edgar Degas, 1879
The Dance Lesson by Edgar Degas, c.1879
The Dance Lesson by Edgar Degas, c.1879
Two Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas - circa 1879
Two Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas – circa 1879
Dancers on Set by Edgar Degas, c.1880
Dancers on Set by Edgar Degas, c.1880
Th Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, 1881
Th Ballet Class by Edgar Degas, 1881
Dancers in a Studio by Edgar Degas, c.1884
Dancers in a Studio by Edgar Degas, c.1884
The Pink Dancers, Before the Ballet by Edgar Degas, 1884
The Pink Dancers, Before the Ballet by Edgar Degas, 1884
The Ballet Dancers (also known as The Dressing Room) by Willard Leroy Metcalf - 1885
The Ballet Dancers (also known as The Dressing Room) by Willard Leroy Metcalf – 1885
Ballet Scene by Edgar Degas, 1893
Ballet Scene by Edgar Degas, 1893
Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas, c.1895
Ballet Dancers by Edgar Degas, c.1895
Ballet Dancers in the Wings by Edgar Degas, 1900
Ballet Dancers in the Wings by Edgar Degas, 1900

Sources and Further Reading

Degas and his Dancers—The Smithsonian.
Edgard Degas—Wikipedia.org

The images below connect you with Amazon and contain Affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thanks for supporting our work.

12 Beautiful Paintings from Russian Artist Lev Lagorio

Lev Lagorio (1828–1905) loved the way light plays with the beauty and drama of sea and mountains.

Known for his seascapes, Lagorio studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Influenced by the great marine artist Ivan Aivazovsky, Lagorio went on a sea voyage in 1845 aboard a Russian warship, where he studied the arrangement of ships—many of which feature in his work.

He spent eight years in Italy, his paintings of which earned him a professorship on returning to Russia.

In his later years, Lagorio painted coastal views of Finland and Norway.

1. Caucasian canyon, 1893

2. Normandy Beach, 1859.

3. Landscape with trees, houses and river, 1878

4. Moon light on the Neva, 1898

5. On the Caucasus Mountains, 1870

6. On the island of Capri. Coastal cliffs. 1859

7. On the island of Capri. Fisher’s house, 1859

8. Batum (a seaside city on the Black Sea coast), 1881

9. Defense of Bayazet during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878

10. View of Ayu-Dag (Crimea) from Alushta

11. Transportation of Ice, 1849

12. Dacha (A Russian country house), 1892

20 Amazing Winter Paintings from the Little Ice Age

The Rhone Glacier, Switzerland, in 1870
The Rhone Glacier, Switzerland, in 1870

The Little Ice Age was a period from about 1300 to 1870 when Europe and North America experienced much colder winters than we do today. Paintings from the Little Ice Age show us what it was like.

There were two phases, the first of which ran from about 1300 to 1500. Then came a slightly warmer period in the 1500s, followed by the second phase when climate deteriorated substantially.

Temperatures plummeted, crops failed, heavy snowfalls and glaciation consumed small villages and farms. Most waterways and lakes in Europe froze over.

Temperatures wouldn’t reach pre-Little Ice Age levels until the 20th century.

To make matters worse, there was significant volcanic activity. In 1815, Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies erupted—one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history.

So much volcanic ash was forced into the atmosphere that it partially blocked the sun’s warming rays, leading to the “Year Without a Summer” of 1816.

Snow fell in New York in June, Massachusetts had frosts in August, and ice still floated in the lakes and rivers of northwestern Pennsylvania during August.

But art flourished, and provides us with a visual record of weather conditions.

Here are 20 of the best winter paintings from the Little Ice Age.

1. The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565

The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565

2. Adoration of the Kings in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1567

Adoration of the Kings in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1567

3. Winter Landscape with a Windmill by Hendrick Avercamp, c.1615

Winter Landscape with a Windmill by Hendrick Avercamp, c.1610-1620

4. The Castle of Muiden in Winter by Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraten, 1658

The Castle of Muiden in Winter by Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraten, 1658

5. Dutch Snow Scene with Skaters by Jan Griffier, c.1695

Dutch Snow Scene with Skaters by Jan Griffier, c.1695

6. Rome with snow by Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1730

Rome with snow by Giovanni Paolo Panini, 1730

7. The Four Seasons: Winter by François Boucher, 1755

The Four Seasons: Winter by François Boucher, 1755

8. Winter by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, 1786-1787

Winter by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, 1786-1787

9. Snowy Landscape by Francesco Foschi, c.1770

Snowy Landscape by Francesco Foschi, c.1770

10. The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, attributed to Henry Raeburn, 1790s

The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, attributed to Henry Raeburn, 1790s

11. Breaking the Ice by George Morland, 1792

Breaking the Ice by George Morland, 1792

12. Winter Landscape by Caspar David Friedrich, 1811

Winter Landscape by Caspar David Friedrich, 1811

13.  Santa Trinità dei Monti in the Snow by Andre Giroux – c.1830 (Rome, Italy)

 Santa Trinità dei Monti in the Snow by Andre Giroux - c.1830 (Rome, Italy)

14. Winter Landscape with Ice Amusements by Frederk Marinus Kruseman, 1850

Winter Landscape with Ice Amusements by Frederk Marinus Kruseman, 1850

15. Playing in the Snow by Thompkins H Matteson, 1856

Playing in the Snow by Thompkins H Matteson, 1856

16. Winter Scene by Louis Remy Mignot, 1856

Winter Scene by Louis Remy Mignot, 1856

17. La Diligence in the Snow by Gustave Courbet, 1860

La Diligence in the Snow by Gustave Courbet, 1860

18. Snow Scene in the South of France by Joséphine Bowes, c.1867

Snow Scene in the South of France by Joséphine Bowes, c.1867

19. Deer in a Snowy Landscape by Gustave Courbet, 1867

Deer in a Snowy Landscape by Gustave Courbet, 1867

20. The Magpie by Claude Monet, 1869

The Magpie by Claude Monet, 1869

A Lasting First Impression – how Monet started a revolution in art

It was April 15, 1874, on the boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France.

Monet waited nervously for people to arrive at his new exhibition, organized with the help of friends Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, and others.

The well-known photographer Nadar (the pseudonym of Gaspard-Félix Tournachon) had recently moved to a new location and offered his studio to Monet and friends to use for their exhibition.

The home of photographer Nadar, where the 1874 exhibition took place.
The home of photographer Nadar, where the 1874 exhibition took place.

Times were hard. The artists were constantly in need of money. An economic slump had hit the art market and the scant sales through art dealers had all but dried up.

The young artists had banded together to form a guild-like association and called themselves “Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs” (Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers).

They wanted to show their work as independent artists, free from any restrictions imposed by the increasingly conservative Salon de Paris.

Formally dressed patrons at the Salon in 1890
Formally dressed patrons at the Salon in 1890

Exhibition at the Salon de Paris was considered essential for any artist to achieve success in France.

But the Salon’s jurors had snubbed Monet and the group of artists, and refused to exhibit many of their works. They opposed the artists’ shift away from traditional styles.

It was the rejection of his larger paintings, like Women in the Garden (below) that finally convinced  Monet of the need for his own exhibition.

Women in the Garden by Claude Oscar Monet, 1867 (100 in x 81 in)
Women in the Garden by Claude Oscar Monet, 1867 (100 in x 81 in)

Now was the opportunity to proudly show another of his larger works—The Luncheon. It too had been turned down by the Paris Salon.

The Luncheon, 1868, Städel, which features Camille Doncieux and Jean Monet, was rejected by the Paris Salon of 1870 but included in the first Impressionists' exhibition in 1874. (97 in x 85 in)
The Luncheon, 1868, Städel, which features Camille Doncieux and Jean Monet, was rejected by the Paris Salon of 1870 but included in the first Impressionists’ exhibition in 1874. (97 in x 85 in)

Altogether, 165 works were exhibited, including 9 by Morisot, 6 by Renoir, 10 by Degas, 5 by Pissarro, 3 by Cézanne, and 3 by Guillaumin.

But it was Monet’s own painting, Impression, Sunrise that would lead to the new name for the group.

What was intended as an insult by art critic Louis Leroy to describe the vague forms and incomplete appearance, was taken as a token of esteem by the group of artists, who would become known as “Impressionists”.

Impression, Sunrise, 1872; the painting that gave its name to the style.
Impression, Sunrise, 1872; the painting that gave its name to the style.

In his article “The Impressionist Exhibition”, Louis Leroy tried to ridicule the Impressionists by writing from the imaginary perspective of a traditional artist who was shocked at seeing their work:

‘Ah! This is it, this is it!: he cried in front of n. 98. ‘This one is Papa Vincent’s favorite! What is this a painting of? Look in the catalogue.’ ‘Impression, Sunrise.’ ‘Impression– I knew it. I was just saying to myself, if I’m impressed, there must be an impression in there… And what freedom, what ease in the brushwork! Wallpaper in its embryonic state is more labored than this seascape!”

During the exhibition, Monet talked about his technique for landscapes in an interview with Maurice Guillemot for La Revue Illustrée:

A landscape is only an impression, instantaneous, hence the label they’ve given us– all because of me, for that matter. I’d submitted something done out of my window at Le Havre, sunlight in the mist with a few masts in the foreground jutting up from the ships below. They wanted a title for the catalog; it couldn’t really pass as a view of Le Havre, so I answered: “Put down Impression.” Out of that they got impressionism, and the jokes proliferated….”

Followers of Impressionism argued that it represented how the eye sees subjects—not in terms of lines and contours, but through the interplay of light and color to form an impression.

Although initially skeptical, the public came to believe the Impressionists had developed their own highly original style.

Impressionism changed the world of painting by disrupting the conventions of the past. It paved the way for a number of later styles, including Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism.

The Groundbreaking Impressionist Exhibition of 1874

Boulevard des Capucines by Claude Monet, 1874.
Boulevard des Capucines by Claude Monet, 1874.
Fishing Boats Leaving the Harbor, Le Havre by Claude Monet, 1874.
Fishing Boats Leaving the Harbor, Le Havre by Claude Monet, 1874.
Le verger (The Orchard) by Camille Pissarro, 1872.
Le verger (The Orchard) by Camille Pissarro, 1872.
Gelee blanche (Hoarfrost) by Camille Pissarro, 1873
Gelee blanche (Hoarfrost) by Camille Pissarro, 1873.
The Chestnut Trees at Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1873.
The Chestnut Trees at Osny by Camille Pissarro, 1873.
Portrait de Mme Morisot et de sa fille Mme Pontillon ou La lecture (The Mother and Sister of the Artist - Marie-Joséphine & Edma) by Berthe Morisot, 1870.
Portrait de Mme Morisot et de sa fille Mme Pontillon ou La lecture (The Mother and Sister of the Artist – Marie-Joséphine & Edma) by Berthe Morisot, 1870.
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869.
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869.
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872.
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872.
The village of Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
The village of Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
Young Girl with a Parrot by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
Young Girl with a Parrot by Berthe Morisot, 1873.
Rivage de Portrieux by Eugène Boudin, 1874.
Rivage de Portrieux by Eugène Boudin, 1874.
Autumn - Banks of the Seine near Bougival by Alfred Sisley 1873.
Autumn – Banks of the Seine near Bougival by Alfred Sisley 1873.
The Hanged Man's House by Paul Cezanne, 1873.
The Hanged Man’s House by Paul Cezanne, 1873.
A Carriage at the Races by Edgar Degas, 1872.
A Carriage at the Races by Edgar Degas, 1872.
Study: Landscape at Auvers by Paul Cezanne, 1873.
Study: Landscape at Auvers by Paul Cezanne, 1873.
Dancer by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1974.
Dancer by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1974.
The Theatre Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1974.
The Theatre Box by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1974.

Monet tried to sell Impression, Sunrise at the exhibition for 1000 francs but failed.

In 2008, at a Christie’s auction, Le bassin aux nymphéas from the water lillies series sold for $80,451,178.

Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas by Claude Monet, 1919.
Le Bassin Aux Nymphéas by Claude Monet, 1919.

Reference sources

(Contains affiliate link)

Full disclosure: We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases through Amazon Associate links. Thanks for supporting our work.

22 Beautiful Paintings of 19th-Century American Life

At one time, especially between 1815 and 1915, the horse and buggy was the primary mode of short-distance transportation in America.

Horsemanship was largely confined to wealthy landowners, western pioneers, and the military.

But as long as there were rudimentary roadways, the low skill requirement of horse and buggy gave freedom of mobility to thousands more.

A horse and buggy circa 1910
A horse and buggy circa 1910

Until Henry Ford made automobiles affordable for the working class, horse-drawn buggies were the most common means of getting around towns and surrounding countryside.

Edward Lamson Henry (1841 – 1919) was an American painter who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He moved to Paris at the age of 19 — a time of Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

His great attention to detail and membership of the New York Historical Society won him admiration from contemporaries who viewed his work as authentic historical reconstructions.

Who better to show us American life in the time of the horse and buggy than Edward Lamson Henry. To enhance the atmosphere of these beautiful paintings, optionally play the music.

The Conversation by Edward Lamson Henry - 1882
The Conversation by Edward Lamson Henry – 1882
Testing His Age by Edward Lamson Henry - 1891
Testing His Age by Edward Lamson Henry – 1891
Carriage Ride by Edward Lamson Henry - 1886
Carriage Ride by Edward Lamson Henry – 1886
Portrait of Mrs. Lydig and Her Daughter by Edward Lamson Henry - 1887-1891
Portrait of Mrs. Lydig and Her Daughter by Edward Lamson Henry – 1887-1891
Stopping for a Chat by Edward Lamson Henry - 1889
Stopping for a Chat by Edward Lamson Henry – 1889
The Latest Village Scandal by Edward Lamson Henry - 1885
The Latest Village Scandal by Edward Lamson Henry – 1885
Horse and Buggy on Main Street by Edward Lamson Henry - 1889
Horse and Buggy on Main Street by Edward Lamson Henry – 1889
A Moment of Peril by Edward Lamson Henry - 1890
A Moment of Peril by Edward Lamson Henry – 1890
A Summer Day by Edward Lamson Henry - 1890
A Summer Day by Edward Lamson Henry – 1890
Later Afternoon on the Old Delaware and Hudson Canal, at Port Ben, Ulster County, New York by Edward Lamson Henry - circa 1894
Later Afternoon on the Old Delaware and Hudson Canal, at Port Ben, Ulster County, New York by Edward Lamson Henry – circa 1894
An Informal Call by Edward Lamson Henry - 1895
An Informal Call by Edward Lamson Henry – 1895
Waiting for the Ferry, Shelter Island, New York by Edward Lamson Henry - 1895
Waiting for the Ferry, Shelter Island, New York by Edward Lamson Henry – 1895
At the Watering Trough by Edward Lamson Henry - 1900
At the Watering Trough by Edward Lamson Henry – 1900
One Sunday Afternoon by Edward Lamson Henry - 1902
One Sunday Afternoon by Edward Lamson Henry – 1902
'What's the News' by Edward Lamson Henry - 1909
‘What’s the News’ by Edward Lamson Henry – 1909
Unexpected Visitors by Edward Lamson Henry - 1909
Unexpected Visitors by Edward Lamson Henry – 1909
St. Mark's in the Bowery in the Early Forties by Edward Lamson Henry - 1917
St. Mark’s in the Bowery in the Early Forties by Edward Lamson Henry – 1917
Coming Home by Edward Lamson Henry
Coming Home by Edward Lamson Henry
Horse and Buggy by Edward Lamson Henry
Horse and Buggy by Edward Lamson Henry
The Village Street by Edward Lamson Henry
The Village Street by Edward Lamson Henry
Station on the Morris and Essex Railroad by Edward Lamson Henry - 1864
Station on the Morris and Essex Railroad by Edward Lamson Henry – 1864
The Camden and Amboy Railroad with the Engine 'Planet' in 1834 by Edward Lamson Henry - 1904
The Camden and Amboy Railroad with the Engine ‘Planet’ in 1834 by Edward Lamson Henry – 1904

Whether a quaint novelty ride around Central Park or a touch of Cinderella magic to a storybook wedding, we can still experience the joys of a horse and buggy ride today.

Bride in a white dress descends from an open horse-drawn carriage decorated with ribbons at a wedding in Minnesota. Credit Jonathunder
Bride in a white dress descends from an open horse-drawn carriage decorated with ribbons at a wedding in Minnesota. Credit Jonathunder
Central Park 'Horse & Buggy'. Credit - David Ohmer, flickr.
Central Park ‘Horse & Buggy’. Credit – David Ohmer, flickr.

C

“The Master of Swish” – Boldini’s Elegant Portraits of High Society Women

Self-portrait by Giovanni Boldini, 1892
Self-portrait by Giovanni Boldini, 1892

In a dusty old Parisian apartment in 2010, a startling discovery was made.

No one had set foot on the premises for 70 years.

Hidden, as if in a time capsule, was a portrait by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini.

It was of Marthe de Florian, a French actress and demimondaine during the Belle Époque. She was known for having famous lovers including a string of French premiers—Georges Clemenceau, Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau,  Paul Deschanel, and Gaston Doumergue.

The apartment belonged to de Florian’s granddaughter, who left Paris to live in the South of France at the outbreak of World War 2, and never returned.

Evidence of the painting’s authenticity lay in a love-letter and a biographical reference dating it to 1888, when the actress was 24.

Boldini is best known for his dazzling, elegant depictions of fashionable high society women.

A 1933 Time magazine article called Boldini the “Master of Swish”—one look at his striking, fluid brushstrokes explains why.

He was preeminently the artist of the Edwardian era, of the pompadour, the champagne supper and the ribbon-trimmed chemiseTime Magazine.

Born in Ferrara in 1842, the son of a painter of religious subjects, he moved to Florence to study painting when he was 20 and met the “Macchiaioli”—Italian precursors to Impressionism. It was their influence that set him on a course initially as a landscape artist, then as a portraitist.

On moving to London, he found fame painting society members including the Duchess of Westminster and Lady Holland.

From 1872, he lived in Paris, where he befriended Edgar Degas and became the most fashionable portraitist in Paris.

He lived to be 88, having married only two years earlier. At his wedding breakfast, he made a little speech:

It is not my fault if I am so old, it’s something which has happened to me all at once.

Vote for your favorites from the “master of swish” as you listen to The Swan by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns.

Miss Bell by Giovanni Boldini, 1903.

Can’t see the music player or the Boldini paintings? Your ad blocker might be blocking them—try switching it off.

.

How Susan Catherine Waters Thrived in a Male-Dominated Victorian Art World

Susan Catherine Moore Waters was a self-taught artist who had little formal training.

She paid her way through seminary school in Friendsville, Pennsylvania by producing drawings.

Married at 17 to William Waters, she relocated often according to her husband’s work and Quaker connections.

When her husband’s ill health meant that he could no longer work, she became the sole provider—and this is where her career as an artist blossomed.

Susan started painting commissioned portraits and giving lessons. Her early work earned enough to provide some financial security.

The Lincoln Children by Susan Waters, 1845.
Portrait of a Girl and Her Dog in a Grape Arbor by Susan Catherine Waters – circa 1855-1860

This painting of three of the twelve children of Otis Lincoln, an innkeeper from Newark Valley (near Binghamton), New York, is widely regarded as one of her finest achievements.

The three little girls (Laura Eugenie, age nine, Sara, age three, and Augusta, age seven) are arranged in a pyramid.

Wearing fancy dresses, ornamented with eyelet and lace, the girls hold pieces of fruit and a book—common in mid-19th-century child portraits and meant to convey their sweetness and enthusiasm for school.

The handsome furnishings, expensive-looking carpet, pretty plants and charming puppy—with its neatly aligned paws—create a pleasing image of domestic bliss. Contrast this with the startlingly serious expressions of the children.

She also wanted to develop as an artist.

In addition to portraits, she started painting landscapes and animals.

Chickens and Raspberries by Susan Catherine Waters – circa 1880.

In 1866, after years of moving between temporary residences, the Waters finally settled in Bordentown, New Jersey, where she would create some of her best-known works of domesticated animals in pastoral settings.

These paintings would earn her recognition in her own lifetime, including an exhibit at the prestigious Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.

For a married woman in the 19th century, succeeding at being sole provider was a remarkable achievement.

To become recognized for her artistic talent in the male-dominated world of art was extraordinary.

Susan Waters’ strength of character would help her become a forward-thinker in the women’s suffrage movement and an animal rights activist.

A Cache of Raspberries by Susan Catherine Waters

References

  • Wikipedia.org
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) – Monet in Transition from Realism to Impressionism

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet is one of his earlier works from 1867—before the term “impressionism” came into being.

It can be considered “pre-impressionism”, incorporating hints of the impressionist style that would follow.

Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet 1867.
Garden of the Princess (Louvre) by Claude Oscar Monet 1867.

The sky, in particular, has the distinctively visible brush strokes, and the sense of movement that are crucial elements of impressionism.

The people and horse-drawn carriages in the street also share the same technique of dabs and blobs of paint.

However, the foreground—the Garden of the Princess—is painted in a more realistic style.

In this painting, we see the beginnings of a transition for Monet—from the realism of painting details and well-defined outlines, to the impressionism of painting the overall visual effect.

Enjoy this 5-minute discussion from expert curator Dr. Andria Derstine, the John G. W. Cowles Director of the Allen Memorial Art Museum that houses the work.

The Windmills of Monet

Claude Monet door de fotograaf Albert Greiner, Amsterdam, 1871
Claude Monet by the photographer Albert Greiner, Amsterdam, 1871.

The year was 1871.

Claude Monet had been exiled to England during the Franco-Prussian War.

Now he was traveling in Holland, staying in Zaandam, a picturesque little town near Amsterdam.

During his stay, he painted about 20 views of the town and its environs.

The weather was mostly overcast, and he conveyed the atmosphere by limiting the range of colors, as was the style among contemporary Netherlandish landscape painters.

In a letter to his friend Camille Pissarro, who was living in England at the time, Monet wrote,

There are the most amusing things everywhere. Houses of every colour, hundreds of windmills and enchanting boats, extremely friendly Dutchmen who almost all speak French…. I have not had time to visit the museums, I wish to work first of all and I’ll treat myself to that later.

Years later, in May 1886, the French Embassy in Amsterdam invited Monet to visit Holland again.

He spent about a month in the Hague, traveling through Rijnsburg and Sassenheim and painting the beautiful tulip fields.

Unlike his last visit in 1871, the weather was good, and is reflected in the more vivid colors.

Before the Impressionist movement, most paintings were created in a studio. By painting en plein air “in the open air”, the Impressionists could capture the transient effects of light more effectively. Instead of focusing on details, they painted the overall visual effect, with brushwork and color that created a more dynamic representation of life.

Impressionism is like the images at the edge of our vision … the images in our dreams … the windmills in our minds.

Enjoy the Windmills of Monet as you listen to Michel Legrand’s “Windmills of Your Mind”.

Mills in the Westzijderveld near Zaandam by Claude Monet 1871.
A windmill near Zaandam by Claude Monet 1871.
The Zaan at Zaandam by Claude Monet 1871.

Monet sought to break away from the traditional subjects favored by academic art. He was drawn to the countryside and natural landscapes, and windmills were often found in rural settings, offering the opportunity to depict nature and rustic scenes.

A Mill at Zaandam by Claude Monet 1871.
Windmill at Zaandam by Claude Oscar Monet 1871.
Windmills Near Zaandam by Claude Monet 1871.

Windmills have distinctive shapes and blades that can create interesting patterns of light and shadow, especially during different times of the day. Monet was fascinated by the transient effects of light, and windmills provided an ideal subject for exploring these effects.

The Windmill, Amsterdam by Claude Monet 1874.
Monet Tulip Fields With The Rijnsburg Windmill by Claude Monet 1886.
Tulip fields and windmills near Rijnsburg by Claude Monet 1886.
Tulip Field in Holland by Claude Monet 1886.

Other Impressionist artists, like Pissarro, also loved to paint windmills. The rotating blades of windmills added a sense of movement and energy to the scenes, contributing to the dynamism of the paintings. This dynamic quality allowed artists to experiment with capturing motion and spontaneity in their works.

Windmill at Knokke, Belgium by Camille Pissarro, 1894.
The Knocke Windmill, Belgium by Camille Pissarro, 1902

Windmills have a unique and recognizable silhouette, making them stand out in a composition. The artists could use these shapes to experiment with form and composition, emphasizing the abstract qualities of the subject.

The Hill of Montmartre with Stone Quarry by Vincent van Gogh, 1886
Windmills on Montmartre by Vincent van Gogh, 1886

Currier & Ives: the Essential Decoration for Victorian Homemaking

From humble beginnings in the Victorian era, Currier and Ives became a successful New York-based printmaking firm that produced more than a million prints of hand-colored lithography.

Catharine Esther Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, authors of American Woman’s Home (1869) considered Currier & Ives prints essential for proper homemaking:

The great value of pictures for the home would be, after all, in their sentiment. They should express the sincere ideas and tastes of the household and not the tyrannical dicta of some art critic or neighbor.

Lithography is a method of printing reliant on the fact that oil and water don’t mix. The process allows precise control over where ink will adhere to a print plate. The result is beautifully detailed artwork.

Currier and Ives made prints from paintings by fine artists as black and white lithographs that were then colored by hand.

Lithographic prints were inexpensive to buy and the firm labeled itself “Publisher of Cheap and Popular Prints” and advertised “colored engravings for the people”.

Nathaniel Currier from Massachusetts started the firm in 1834 when he was 21. Having apprenticed with Pendletons of Boston to learn the trade, he found success creating lithographs of local and national events.

In 1857, Currier’s bookkeeper James Merritt Ives became a partner. Ives had a keen sense for gauging what the public wanted and helped select the images that the firm would publish.

Employing celebrated artists for original works, Currier and Ives prints were among the most popular wall hangings of the Victorian era.

The 1872 Currier and Ives catalog proclaimed:

… our Prints have become a staple article… in great demand in every part of the country… In fact without exception, all that we have published have met with a quick and ready sale.
Bringing Home the Logs, Winter Landscape, 19th century (colour litho) by Currier, N. (1813-88) and Ives, J.M. (1824-95); colour lithograph
The Farmers Home – Summer, 1864
Salmon Branch, Granby Connecticut, 1869
The Trout Pool
The Return From The Woods
The Road – Winter by Otto Knirsch, published by Currier and Ives, 1853
Hero and Flora Temple, 1856
Western River Scenery, 1866
Echo Lake, White Mountains c. 1875
American Homestead Winter. Published by Currier & Ives, 1868
Three Jolly Kittens
The levee, New Orleans, 1884
The Falls of Niagara-From the Canada side, 1868
Winter in the Country. Published by Currier & Ives, c1863
The Drew Grand Saloon
The Boston Tea Party
The American Fireman
Winter morning in the country. Published by Currier & Ives, c1873
Sailor departure Black-eyed Susan
Robinson Crusoe and man Friday, 1874
Off for the war, 1861
Home in the wilderness. Published by Currier & Ives, c1870
A mansion of the olden time. Published by Currier & Ives, between 1856 and 1907
New York showing Equitable Life building
Morning in the Woods, 1835
Life in the Country – Evening
Washington crossing the Delaware on the evening of Dec 25th. 1776, previous to the battle of Trenton. Published by Currier & Ives, c1876
Kiss-me-quick, 1840s
Grand, national, temperance banner – dedicated to every son & daughter of temperance, throughout the union
Hunting, Fishing and Forest Scenes
Friendship love and truth
Flora Temple (famous racehorse)
Central Park by Currier & Ives, 1862
Brooklyn Bridge – connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn, looking west, 1883
American Homestead Spring
American Homestead Autumn
American Homestead Summer
A Home on the Mississippi
1883 battery detail of City of New York
West Point Hudson River, NY, c 1900
New York and Brooklyn, with Jersey City and Hoboken water front, 1875
The City of Chicago, c. 1874
Washington City from the new dome of the Capitol, looking east, 1892
The City of San Francisco, 1878
The New York yacht club regatta, 1869
The Lincoln Family, (published 1867)
The harvest moon, c 1870
The fruits of temperance, 1848

The Art of Reading in the Victorian Era

Victorians were avid readers.

Just as we bury our faces in our mobile devices on the morning commute, so too did Victorians with the latest penny fiction.

The increased literacy rate from schooling, cheaper production, and broader availability of books through libraries all benefited reading.

The Dame’s School by Thomas Faed RA HRSA – 1879.

Towards the latter half of the 19th century, gas and electric lighting also meant that reading after dark didn’t have to be by candlelight or messy oil lamps.

Woman Reading by Candlelight by Peter Ilsted (1861 - 1933)
Woman Reading by Candlelight by Peter Ilsted (1861 – 1933)

Novels were often serialized in monthly parts, making them more easily accessible and shared. Weekly or monthly segments often ended on a “cliff-hanger” to keep readers hooked and anticipating the next installment.

Perhaps the best know serialized novels were the “Penny Dreadfuls”. Costing just one old penny, they focused on the exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities.

Penny Dreadful from 1860 on the popular outlaw Dick Turpin.

The price of new books—often only available as a set of three—was out of reach for most working class people, so they borrowed from circulating libraries such as Mudie’s (founded 1842), which dispatched books all over Britain for a modest subscription fee.

For the wealthier classes who could afford first editions, reading from their own collection would be an everyday occurrence.

In the Library by Auguste Toulmouche – 1872.

Six months after the original publication, books became cheaper, being issued as single volumes. And the growth of the rail network helped make novels cheaper still at railway stations.

There would always be something new to read for a long journey.

The Travelling Companions by Augustus Leopold Egg – 1862.

Fiction was thought to hold influential power over readers. George Eliot wrote that people are,

imitative beings. We cannot, at least those who ever read to any purpose at all . . . help being modified by the ideas that pass through our minds.

The 18th-century view that reading contemporary novels was a time-wasting leisure activity gave way to 19th-century ideals on their ability to educate.

Victorians believed that although novels lacked the cultural seriousness of classical texts, they did nevertheless bring awareness of historical periods and places that might help bring about social reform and develop Christian moral values.

By the mid-1800’s, the most widely read novel in England was the anti-slavery Uncle Toms Cabin of 1852 by American Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Interrupted Reading by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot – circa 1870.

But if novels could influence for the good, they could also influence for the bad.

Novels were thought to corrupt the working classes by giving them ideas above their station or encouraging them to emulate the life of fictional criminals.

Cultural opinion leaders were particularly concerned about fiction’s effect on women. They argued that women were more susceptible to excitement and often over-identified with characters in novels that could make them more dissatisfied with their lives.

Forbidden Books by Alexander Mark Rossi – 1897.

Thank goodness the novelists themselves started to push back against the disillusioned ideology of the critics. They assumed readers could make up their own minds and did not need protecting. George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, George Gissing, and George Moore trusted their readers’ sense of responsibility.

Left: George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) by Frederick William Burton, 1864. Right: Thomas hardy by William Strang, 1893.

By the late 19th century, novels had become a pleasurable pastime with the freedom to read anywhere.

Summer Sunlight by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1892.

Reference

The British Library

A Journey Back in Time Down the Avenue des Champs Élysées

The Avenue des Champs Élysées is a boulevard in Paris 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long and 70 m (76 yds) wide, which runs between the Obelisk of Luxur at Place de la Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles de Gaulle.

Champs Élysées means “Elysian Fields”—the final resting place for heroes from Greek Mythology.

In France, they call it la plus belle avenue du monde “the world’s most beautiful avenue”.

1200px-Avenue_des_Champs-Élysées,_street_sign

Listen to Gabriel Fauré as we travel back in time down the Avenue des Champs Élysées.

Atop the Arc de Triomphe, one hundred years unfolds in the following two images.

Where once cobbles clattered and horse-drawn carriages danced, where the air hummed with the melody of strolling musicians and the lively bustle of Parisians in elegant hats and flowing robes, engines now roar, neon signs hiss, and the air pulsates with the murmur of a million conversations.

The Champs-Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe in 1900.

Whispering stories of a bygone era, the Avenue has become a vibrant tapestry of lives, a melting pot of cultures, and a testament to the ever-evolving soul of Paris.

The Champs Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe 2011.
The Champs Élysées as seen from the Arc de Triomphe, present day.
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. Credit Hansueli Krapf
Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. Credit Hansueli Krapf

From the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point, we travel through the Jardin des Champs Élysées (Gardens of Champs Élysées), a park which has the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Théâtre Marigny, and several restaurants, gardens and monuments.

The Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli c1880.
The Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli c1880.

Before Louis XIV, the area of the Champs Élysées was fields and kitchen gardens.

In 1667, French landscape architect André Le Nôtre, who had designed the gardens of Versailles, extended the Tuileries Garden to form the Champs Élysées gardens—together, a place where Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed.

At the Champs Elysees Gardens by Victor Gabriel Gilbert – 1897.

By the late 18th century, the Champs Élysées had become a fashionable avenue.  Trees on either side formed elegant rectangular groves.

Lane of Trees on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli - circa 1893.
Lane of Trees on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-François Raffaëlli – circa 1893.

Gardens of townhouses belonging to the nobility backed onto the formal gardens of the Champs Élysée. The grandest of these was the Élysée Palace, which became the official residence of the Presidents of France during the Third French Republic.

The Promenade on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.
The Promenade on the Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.

Le Nôtre planned a wide promenade, lined with two rows of elm trees on either side and flowerbeds in the symmetrical style of the French formal garden.

View of the Champs-Elysées from the Place de l'Etoile by Edmond-Georges Grandjean - 1878.
View of the Champs-Elysées from the Place de l’Etoile by Edmond-Georges Grandjean – 1878.
Scene on the Champs-Élysées by Jean-Georges Béraud
Scene on the Champs-Élysées by Jean-Georges Béraud

In 1828, footpaths and fountains were added, then later gas lighting.

Evening, Champs-Elysees by Frederick Childe Hassam - c. 1898.
Evening, Champs-Elysees by Frederick Childe Hassam – c. 1898.
Parisienne Au Rond-Point Des Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.
Parisienne Au Rond-Point Des Champs-Elysees by Jean-Georges Béraud.

In 1834, under King Louis Philippe, the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff was commissioned to redesign the Place de la Concorde and the gardens of the Champs-Élysées.

April Showers, Champs Elysees Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1888.
April Showers, Champs Elysees Paris by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1888.

The main monument of the Boulevard, the Arc de Triomphe, was commissioned by Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.

After Napoleon’s fall from power in 1815, the Arc de Triomphe remained unfinished—eventually being completed by King Louis Philippe in 1836.

The Champs-Elysees, The Arc de Triomphe by Jean-François Raffaëlli.
The Champs-Elysees, The Arc de Triomphe by Jean-François Raffaëlli.
L'Arc de Triomphe, Paris by Eugène Galien-Laloue
L’Arc de Triomphe, Paris by Eugène Galien-Laloue

Emperor Napoleon III selected the park as the site of the first Paris international exposition—the Exposition Universelle of 1855.

Covering 322,000 sq ft, a giant exhibit hall once stood where the Grand Palais is today.

Exposition Universelle 1855.
Exposition Universelle 1855.
Detail of the engraving 'Paris in 1860. Bird's eye view, taken above the Champs-Elysees roundabout' representing the Palais de l'Industrie
Detail of the engraving ‘Paris in 1860. Bird’s eye view, taken above the Champs-Elysees roundabout’ representing the Palais de l’Industrie
Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées. Credit Eric Pouhier
Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées. Credit Eric Pouhier

Following the Exposition, in 1858, the gardens were transformed from a formal French design into a picturesque English-style garden, with groves of trees, flower beds and winding paths.

Beautiful rows of chestnut trees replaced the old tired elms.

The Champs-Elysees during the Paris Fair of 1867 by Pierre Auguste Renoir - 1867.
The Champs-Elysees during the Paris Fair of 1867 by Pierre Auguste Renoir – 1867.

In 1860, merchants along the Avenue joined together to form a syndicate—the oldest standing committee in Paris—to promote commercial interests along the Champs Élysées.

La Patisserie Gloppe au Champs Elyssées by Jean-Georges Béraud - 1889.
La Patisserie Gloppe au Champs Elyssées by Jean-Georges Béraud – 1889.
Portrait of a Lady on the Champs Elysees by George Vaughan Curtis - 1893.
Portrait of a Lady on the Champs Elysees by George Vaughan Curtis – 1893.

Traditionally home to luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Lancel, Guerlain, Lacoste, Hôtel de la Païva, Élysée Palace and Fouquet’s, the Champs Élysées now also hosts popular chain stores.

Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night by Louis Anquetin.
Woman at the Champs-Élysées by night by Louis Anquetin.

Tissot’s Victorian Ladies

James Tissot (1836 – 1902), was a French painter and illustrator.

He painted scenes of Paris and London society—and especially fashionably dressed women.

Click here to continue learning about James Tissot
Self-portrait in 1865
Self-portrait in 1865.

Born in Nantes, France, his father was a drapery merchant and his mother designed hats. Their involvement in the fashion industry influenced his artistic flair for painting the finer details of women’s clothing.

Tissot enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts to study in the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe—both known for their decorative art skills. It was here that Tissot became acquainted with Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet and James Whistler.

In 1863, Tissot found the niche that would bring him critical acclaim and wealth: portraits depicting modern life.

He moved to London in 1871, where he quickly developed his reputation for painting elegantly dressed, fashionable women.

The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists quotes Edmond de Goncourt in 1874 as writing that Tissot had ‘a studio with a waiting room where, at all times, there is iced champagne at the disposal of visitors”.

Tissot’s popularity among wealthy British industrialists gave him an income usually reserved for the top strata of society.

a studio with a waiting room where, at all times, there is iced champagne at the disposal of visitorsPhilip J. Waller.

Tissot painted elegant ladies from high society in enchanting everyday scenes. Vote for your favorites from this list of 20 beautiful Tissot paintings.

The Art of Women’s Tennis

Sport says a lot about how far society has come. Leading social historian Harold Perkins once put it this way,

The history of societies is reflected more vividly in the way they spend their leisure than in their politics or their work. Sport in particular is much more than a pastime or recreation. It is an integral part of a society’s culture (and) gives a unique insight into the way a society changes and impacts on other societies.

When you watch Wimbledon this year, you will be watching a sport that is probably the closest there is to gender equality. Wimbledon gives male and female tennis players equal screen time and equal pay.

According to this article in the Atlantic, only three women appear on Forbes’ list of the 100 highest-paid athletes—all of them are tennis players.

It was the Victorians who first recognized the importance of women’s tennis. The world’s oldest tennis tournament, the Wimbledon Championships, added Ladies Singles to the roster in 1884.

In 2007, Wimbledon and the French Open joined other Grand Slam tournaments in giving equal prize money to men and women—tennis has broken down the gender pay gap.

But it wasn’t always that way.

In 1973, Billie Jean King had the weight of the world on her shoulders as she played against former number-one-ranked Bobby Riggs in a US-televised tournament dubbed “Battle of the Sexes”.

In 1973, a woman could not get a credit card without her husband or father or a male signing off on it. —Billie Jean King.

Billie Jean King triumphed that day and said it wasn’t about winning at tennis, but about showing that women were confident, strong and equal.

89 years before Billie Jean King’s historic win, there was another historic moment taking place at Wimbledon, as Maud Watson faced Lillian Watson (her sister) to become the first female Wimbledon Champion.

Imagine Maud facing one of today’s players, such as Maria Sharapova, and it becomes abundantly clear that Victorian women played with a significant handicap—their clothing!

Maria Sharapova and Maud Watson dressed for tennis.
Maria Sharapova and Maud Watson dressed for tennis

Victorian Society dictated that arms had to be covered and ankles hidden by gowns that almost touched the ground. Furthermore, women had to endure three starched petticoats under the dress to make it blossom out. Think how hot it must have been!

Naturally, the infamous Victorian corset was also a requirement to maintain an hourglass figure at all times. Not to mention the expense of the entire ensemble.

Heeled boots, a rigid whalebone collar, and a wide-brimmed hat rounded out the sporting attire.

Now imagine trying to run to the net for the drop shots … and dash back to the baseline to return a lob.

Anyone for tennis?
Contains affiliate links

Enjoy a trip down the tennis memory lane with these images of a bygone time.

A Game of Tennis by George Goodwin Kilburne (English, 1839 - 1924)
A Game of Tennis by George Goodwin Kilburne (English, 1839 – 1924)
A Rally by Sir John Lavery, 1885
A Rally by Sir John Lavery, 1885
Tennis by James Guthrie - 1890
Tennis by James Guthrie – 1890
The Tennis Racket by James Guthrie - 1890
The Tennis Racket by James Guthrie – 1890
Tennis Players by Horace Henry Cauty, 1885
Tennis Players by Horace Henry Cauty, 1885
The Ring by Robert Vonnoh, 1892
The Ring by Robert Vonnoh, 1892
A Game of Tennis by John Strickland Goodall
A Game of Tennis by John Strickland Goodall
A Game of Tennis by John Strickland Goodall
A Game of Tennis by John Strickland Goodall
The Tennis Party by Charles March Gere - 1900
The Tennis Party by Charles March Gere – 1900
Tennis Game by the Sea by Max Liebermann - 1901
Tennis Game by the Sea by Max Liebermann – 1901
Tennis Game by the Sea by Max Liebermann - 1901
Tennis Game by the Sea by Max Liebermann – 1901
The Tennis Party by Sir John Lavery, R.A. - 1885
The Tennis Party by Sir John Lavery, R.A. – 1885
The Tennis Match by Sir John Lavery, R.A. (1856 - 1941)
The Tennis Match by Sir John Lavery, R.A. (1856 – 1941)
Portrait of His Sister in Law by Arthur Hacker (English, 1858–1919)
Portrait of His Sister in Law by Arthur Hacker (English, 1858–1919)
Tennis Players by the Sea by Max Liebermann - circa 1901
Tennis Players by the Sea by Max Liebermann – circa 1901
Tennis Anyone by Emile Vernon (French, 1872 - 1919)
Tennis Anyone by Emile Vernon (French, 1872 – 1919)
The Tennis Player by Percy Shakespeare (English, 1906 - 1943)
The Tennis Player by Percy Shakespeare (English, 1906 – 1943)
A Rest after the Match by Jose Villegas y Cordero, c. 1915
A Rest after the Match by Jose Villegas y Cordero, c. 1915