#19th Century

Juana Romani Women Artists

Juana Romani: Model, Muse, Painter

Juana Romani (née Giovanna Carolina Carlesimo) was an Italian-born French model and painter working at the turn of the 20th century. Despite...

Natalia Iacobelli 4 April 2024

Artist Stories

Joanna Hiffernan: Artist, Model and Whistler’s Muse

Joanna Hiffernan and James Abbott McNeill Whistler met in London in 1861. He instantly fell in love with her striking red hair and outspoken...

Louisa Mahoney 4 April 2024

Women Artists

From St. Petersburg to Hamburg: The Artistic Odyssey of Elena Luksch-Makowsky

Elena Luksch-Makowsky was a trailblazing painter and sculptor whose work traversed the cultural landscapes of St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Hamburg. In...

Marija Canjuga 27 March 2024

Photography

Capturing Light: The Pioneers of Photography in France

It all officially began in 1839 in two countries at the same time: in the UK, the Royal Academy announced the discovery of a method of capturing...

Magda Michalska 22 March 2024

Photography

Julia Margaret Cameron – The Queen of Pre-Raphaelite Photography

The English Victorian artist Julia Margaret Cameron (who was actually born in India and raised in France) was an irreplaceable representative of...

Rute Ferreira 22 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: The Major’s Marriage Proposal by Pavel Fedotov

When you think of 19th-century Russia, images of Anna Karenina with black furs and white diamonds may come to mind. The lives of the wealthy...

James W Singer 19 March 2024

Museum Stories

6 Highlights from the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin

Discover the wealth of 19th-century artistic treasures housed within Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie, a true gem in Germany’s cultural...

Anastasia Manioudaki 16 March 2024

Art State of Mind

Florence Welch — A Modern Pre-Raphaelite Muse

We all know Florence Welch, the leader of the indie-rock band Florence + The Machine. And if you don’t, I suggest you find her cosmic music right...

Elizaveta Ermakova 15 March 2024

Bizarre

Dante and Virgil in Bouguereau’s Hell

Established by the Academy, the hierarchy of genres and subjects was essential for almost every graduate of École des Beaux-Arts. Throughout the...

Christopher Michaut 9 March 2024

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (detail), 1865. Oil on canvas. The Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria. Herstory

Empress Sisi: What Art Doesn’t Show Us

Elizabeth of Austria, more commonly known as Sisi, was Empress of the Austrian-Habsburg Empire from 1854 until 1898. Captivating paintings and...

Errika Gerakiti 4 March 2024

Sculpture

A Painterly Look Into Sculptors’ Studios

Painting and sculpture have always had a rather complicated relationship, with artists arguing for the superiority of one or the other. Yet, in the...

Magda Michalska 2 March 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Solar Eclipse in Venice by Ippolito Caffi

Ippolito Caffi was a gifted vedutista – painter of highly detailed cityscapes – renowned for his meticulous depictions of Venice‘s...

Maya M. Tola 27 February 2024