-
Wrestlers
Wrestlers is an early nineteenth century Italian marble sculpture. The piece is inspired by an original Roman antique bronze. The image is of two men engaged in “pankration,” a type of wrestling. The sculpture is displayed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. -
Balloon Ascension
Balloon Ascension, painted in the nineteenth century by German artist Thé Lau, illustrates the romantic characteristic of "The importance of imagination." Thé Lau was part of the movement in Dutch painting called “The Bergen School.” The work is an oil on canvas. -
Printed Egyptian Fabric
This Chromolithograph is an example of Printed Egyptian Fabric, circa the nineteenth century. The piece was produced by Emile Prisse d'Avennes, a French archaeologist, Egyptologist, architect and writer. Printing on fabric was developed in the early seventeenth century; however, textile printing on a large scale was not successful in Europe until the eighteenth century. Chromolithography, or the method for making multi-color prints, was developed in the nineteenth century. -
Chinese Ceramics
This Chinese ceramic piece was crafted in the early nineteenth century. The art of Chinese ceramics has been continuously developing since the pre-dynastic period. The most common materials used in Chinese ceramics are bricks, tiles, clay, and porcelain. Ceramics were and still are used for trade and diplomatic gifts. -
Anna Maria Dashwood, later Marchioness of Ely
Anna Maria Dashwood, later Marchioness of Ely, was painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, circa 1805. Lawrence, an Englishman (1769-1830) painted portraits exclusively. Anna Maria, who was married to the 2nd Marquees of Ely, was nineteen or twenty when Lawrence painted her. -
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68
Symphony No. 6, also known as the “Pastoral Symphony,” was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1808. The symphony has five movements, each movement requiring a different combination of instruments. The Symphony was first performed in the Theatre an der Wien on December 22, 1808. The concert was four hours long. Listen to Symphony No. 6, Movement1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=W2QyefTG_p0 -
What a Fly
What a Fly is a nineteenth century sculpture by E. Guillemin of the United States. The sculpture is made of painted metal. The statue embodies an African American boy wearing a straw hat and playing a banjo. Some say there is a fly or perhaps a bee on the boy’s nose. -
"She Walks in Beauty"
The poem "She Walks in Beauty" was written by Lord George Gordon Byron in 1814 but not published until the following year in a volume of poems called Hebrew Melodies. The poem was written overnight in response to seeing his cousin, Lady Wilmot Horton, for the first time at a party given by Lady Sitwell on June 11, 1814. Listen to a reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_zCOJOgd4U -
Frankenstein
Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, was published by Mary Shelly in 1818. Shelly began writing the novel when she was only eighteen. The work was completed two years later. The book is considered to be one of the first works of science fiction and is considered a Gothic Novel. It wasn’t until the second printing that Shelly’s name appeared as the author. The book is a cautionary tale about the dangers of science. Listen to the audiobook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvtCLJ-1N34 -
The Barque of Dante
The Barque of Dante, sometimes called Dante and Virgil in Hell, was painted in two and a half months. Artist Eugène Delacroix feverishly worked on the painting in order to complete it by the opening of The Salon on April 24, 1822. Delacroix succeeded but then needed a time of rest and recuperation from the intense labor. At the time, the painting was received with mix reviews. The work now resides at the Musée du Louvre. -
The Lamport Choir
The Lamport Choir was painted by the village schoolmaster, George Clark (1790-1826). The work is considered a remarkable historical document because of the likelihood that each choir member is painted in their likeness. (Notice the slight stature of the members.) -
Battle Scene
Battle Scene was painted by French painter Joseph Louis Hippolyte Bellangé (1800-1866). He produced military drawings in lithography and devoted himself to works of art dealing with battle. Hippolyte Bellangé was awarded the Légion d'honneur for his work. -
View from the Window at Le Gras
View from the Window at Le Gras is one of the earliest surviving photographs taken with a camera. The photograph is considered the “World’s First Photo.” This image was taken either in 1826 or 1827 by Nicéphore Niépce in Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne, France. According to Robert Hirsh's book Seizing the Light: A History of Photography, 1839 is the year acknowledged as the birth of “practical photography." -
Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche, by French painter Jean Baptiste Regnault, is an interpretive painting from the Latin novel Metamorphoses. The story is an allegory of the fall of the human soul. -
United States Slave Trade, 1830
United States Slave Trade, 1830 was engraved on a Copper Plate and used to make prints. The plate was found by men in recovery efforts after the 1838 burning of the Anti-Slavery Hall in Philadelphia. The image is of a scene from the interstate slave trade. The price of the plate was twenty cents. -
Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830
Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 was painted by Gustaf Wappers in 1834. The Revolution won Belgium’s independence from the United Kingdom on July 14th 1831. The painting can be found in the Museum of Fine Art in Brussels. -
Anna Bolena, opera
The Anna Bolena opera, written by Gaetano Donizetti, recounts the life of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII. The opera in two acts was performed at the Teatro Carcano in Milan. The piece was a great success. Anne de Boulen was performed in the United States, in New Orleans, at the Théâtre d'Orléans on November 12, 1839. Follow the link to watch the 1996 rendition of the opera http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXyN1qY2RTw -
Giselle, Ballet in 2 Acts
Giselle (Paris, 1841) was written byJules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier. After the French Revolution, ballet became an independent art form from the Opera. The two most important productions in the early nineteenth century were La Sylphide (Paris, 1832) and Giselle. Watch Giselle, Ballet in 2 Acts (1996) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd_lcew-ooM -
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol, a novella written by Charles Dickens in 1843, was an instant success and has never been out of print. A Christmas Carol carries the legacy of nostalgic traditions, among them, the phrases "Merry Christmas" and "Bah! Humbug!" The tale is known as a Christian allegory of redemption. Listen to the audiobook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3fN_-rupwo -
The Secrets of Thornfield Manor
Playwright John Courtney penned the very first adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre called The Secrets of Thornfield Manor. Courtney wrote over sixty plays and had much success in the UK as well as in America. The Secrets of Thornfield Manor was performed at the Royal Victoria Theatre in January of 1848. -
Arab Horseman Attacked by a Lion
Arab Horseman Attacked by a Lion, 1849–50 was painted by French artist Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863). The work is considered to be in the Orientalism style. French Orientalism was a result of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria. -
Sainte-Geneviève Library
The Sainte-Geneviève Library was built in Paris between 1843 and 1850 by Henri Labrouste. The structure is known by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as “a temple of knowledge and space for contemplation.” The reading room of the building is made of cast iron and glass. Labrouste redefined nineteenth century architecture by introducing exposed metal structures, lightweight walls, and bright spaces. The names of 810 well-known scholars are inscribed on the face of the building.
