Lexikon der Kunstlerinnen 1700-1900

The Lexikon der Künstlerinnen 1700-1900 (Encyclopaedia of Women Artists 1700-1900) contains the biographies of approximately 3,100 female artists in the German-speaking countries: professional and amateur - aristocratic and bourgeois - students and teachers. The artists in question are those active after 1700 or born in 1850 at the latest. Accordingly, the range extends from baroque, rococo, classicism, romanticism and Biedermeier to realism, naturalism and late impressionism, and in some cases, to art nouveau. Besides presenting biographical details, lengthier portraits also shed light on the artist's private, social and cultural environments. Until now, no other work has displayed such comprehensive coverage of the female artists active during this period. Not only was extensive material gathered on professional and academic artists, but also on many amateurs and little-known artists; some material being examined for the very first time. The resulting picture encompasses to the full extent, the quantity and quality of female artistic work from the late baroque period to the end of the 19th century. Many previously unknown or disregarded female artists were tracked down for the very first time. The term "female artist" covers a wide range of disciplines. Among those included are: oil, pastel and watercolour painters, draughtswomen, illustrators, lithographers, sculptresses, builders, interior decorators, garden designers, daguerreotype photographers, craftswomen, textile artists, patrons and collectors, as well as a few studio managers and publishers. Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807) was one of the most successful portrait painters in the late 18th century. Maria Ellenrieder (1791-1863), the first female student to be accepted at the Münchner Akademie (Munich Academy) in 1813, was employed as the court painter in Baden from 1829 onwards. These are just two examples of artists who were highly esteemed in their time. In the Lexikon der Künstlerinnen 1700-1900, however, there are many other interesting discoveries to be made: for example, 26 of the listed artists achieved the status of chamber, cabinet or court painters, draughtswomen or embroiders. Also remarkable, are the many cases of memberships of domestic and foreign academies as well as enrolment at art schools. A number of the artists listed worked as "academic artists" or art teachers for aristocratic and royal families. One of the achievements of this encyclopaedia, however, is that it also provides comprehensive information on those women who, due to numerous private and social restrictions, were prevented from embarking on careers as professional artists. The Lexikon der Künstlerinnen 1700-1900 will serve as a reference work and a working tool for both art historians and those carrying out women's studies. It is aimed at art experts, academics, school and university students, as well as all those interested in art and art history.