From a strange rustic nude by Millet, in the 1880s and 90s the Goose Girl was a popular motif. Examples from Lhermitte, Bouguereau, and others.
Bouguereau
Although known for his paintings of nudes, many of his subjects were fully-clothed, and most were powerful women who overcame adversity.
How the term spinster came about, the thread of life, the feminisation of Hercules, and Velázquez’ baffling Las Hilanderas.
Paintings showing women spinning from around 1000 CE to the early 20th century, by Eakins, Tanner, Courbet, van Gogh, Breton, and others,
Both Poussin and Delacroix painted important series just before they died. Others here from Bouguereau, Mucha, and the Japanese Araki.
The story of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ has become something of a modern legend. Here are some of the paintings made of its story, before it obsessed early filmmakers.
The depiction of Pandora opening her box and unleashing all its ills on the world remained popular, with paintings by Alma-Tadema, Bouguereau, Waterhouse, Rackham, Redon, and others.
For the latter half of the 19th century, Pont-Aven in Brittany was one of the leading centres for painting in France. Here’s its history, from Weber and Wylie to PS Krøyer and Julian Alden Weir.
Two transformations: Dryope changes into a Lotus Tree, and the incestuous Byblis becomes a spring.
The majority of portraits and genre paintings of women washing clothes are thoroughly demur, without the slightest innuendo.
The Eclectic Light Company 