19th-century Archives - Page 2 of 13

Mickiewicz as a Pilgrim (1894)

Jan Styka (Polish, 1858–1925)

A lone pilgrim stands against a vast landscape, his gaze distant yet intense. The folds of his cloak catch the wind, echoing the restless spirit of Polish literature. There’s weight in his stillness—a man caught between exile and longing, as if the horizon holds both memory and prophecy.
Amarilla

Frederic Leighton (English, 1830–1896)

A woman in yellow leans against a sunlit wall, her draped gown pooling around her. The fabric catches the light like liquid gold, its folds whispering against stone. Her gaze drifts beyond the frame, lost in some private thought. The warmth of the scene lingers, suspended between stillness and motion.
11 Heures Du Soir. Portrait from Les Dix-huit Heures d’une Parisienne (c. 1830)

Achille Devéria (French, 1800–1857)

A Parisian woman at midnight, her face half-lit by candlelight. The loose curls and slipping shawl suggest a private moment, caught between evening’s end and night’s secrets. The glow softens her features but sharpens the shadows behind her—what thoughts linger in those unreadable eyes?
Portrait of a young girl in a forest (1878)

Charles Sillem Lidderdale (English, 1830–1895)

A young girl stands among towering trees, sunlight filtering through leaves to dapple her dress. Her gaze holds quiet mystery, as if the forest whispered secrets only she could hear. The play of light and shadow wraps around her like a second skin, both sheltering and exposing her solitary moment.
Mrs. Frederick Mead (Mary Eliza Scribner) (1893)

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)

A woman in black lace gazes past the viewer, her gloved hand resting lightly on a chair. The rich fabric of her dress pools around her, shadows playing across its folds. There’s a quiet intensity in her expression—neither posed nor candid, but something lingering between the two.
A Glance Exchanged

Frederik Hendrik Kaemmerer (Dutch, 1839–1902)

A fleeting look passes between them—charged, unspoken. The woman’s gloved hand hovers near her skirt; the man’s posture stiffens. Silk rustles, light catches a brooch. Something hangs in the air, too delicate to name.
Fauna japonica Pl.082 (1833-1850)

Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (German, 1796–1866)

Delicate wings spread across the page, veins traced with scientific precision. A Japanese beetle rendered in ink, its carapace gleaming as if still alive beneath the paper. The specimen seems ready to crawl off the page, frozen mid-motion by an unseen hand.
Parisienne

Gustave Jean Jacquet (French, 1846–1909)

A young woman in 19th-century French attire gazes past the viewer, her lace collar framing quiet confidence. The play of light on silk and velvet suggests wealth, yet her expression holds something unreadable—a private thought lingering beneath the polished surface of high society.
Abbildungen zu Oken’s Allgemeiner Naturgeschichte für alle Stände Pl.029 (1841)

Lorenz Oken (German, unknown)

Delicate veins branch across translucent leaves, each curve precise as a surgeon’s incision. The engraving freezes their unfurling—not just plants, but architectures of light and shadow. Here, botany becomes blueprint.