Barbara Dayer Gallati

An illuminating look at how the Pre-Raphaelite movement was embraced by a group of vanguard American artists Bringing together insights from a distinguished group of scholars, this beautiful book analyzes the history and historiography of the American Pre-Raphaelites, and how the movement made its way from England to America. Led by Thomas Charles Farrer—an English expatriate and acolyte of the hugely influential English critic John Ruskin—the American Pre-Raphaelite artists followed Ruskin’s dictum to depict nature close up and with great fidelity. Many members of the group (including Farrer, who served in the Union army during the American Civil War) were also abolitionists, and several created works with a rich political subtext. Featuring the work of artists such as Fidelia Bridges, Henry and Thomas Charles Farrer, Charles Herbert Moore, Henry Roderick Newman, and William Trost Richards, this generously illustrated volume is filled with insightful essays that explore the influence of Ruskin on the American artists, the role of watercolor and photography in their work, symbolism and veiled references to the Civil War, and much more. Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, WashingtonExhibition Schedule:National Gallery of Art, Washington (04/14/19–07/21/19)

Named after a series of charity shows held by the New York social elite during the 1890s, which generated huge press interest, this volume examines the remarkable resurgence of portraiture in the United States in the late 19th century. It features over 50 paintings by leading American and European artists, including John Singer Sargent, James Montgomery Flagg and William- Adolphe Bouguereau, with portraits of the some of the greatest belles of the Gilded Age, including Mrs. William Waldorf Astor and the concert singer, Emma Cecilia Thursby. The book also features 25 miniature portraits from the collection Beauties of New York Society commissioned by contemporary socialite Peter Marie, as well as period photographs and advertisements for fashion and cosmetics. The lives of all of these women generated a level of curiosity similar to that of celebrity and beauty magazines like 'Vanity Fair' and 'Tatler' today.