Paintings from cities like London, Paris and Oslo, by Ford Madox Brown, Jean-Louis Forain, Félicien Rops, Christian Krohg, and others.
Forain
The origin of the conical hat worn by Jews. and that worn by dunces. Cavaliers and Roundheads, crowns and mitres, the cardinal’s red biretta, and Dante’s chaperon.
Scathing satire from Honoré Daumier and Jean-Louis Forain, together with view of the Old Bailey, a Norwegian magistrate, and a German court lit by candles.
From the Circus Maximus with its crowd of 150,000 to those walking the tightrope under the canvas of the Big Top.
Examples of putting figures in the spotlight from paintings of Tiepolo, David, Goya, Gérôme, Thomas Eakins, and others.
Like eyes and the rest of the face, hands are most usually seen uncovered in figurative paintings. These paintings show gloved hands which have special purposes and meaning.
Why did Bosch show people wearing funnels on their heads? Why the Roundheads? How to tell priestly rank by the hat, and more about chaperons and top hats.
A party of landsfolk riding in horsedriven hay wagon, the artist’s mother sewing in Nabi style, tennis in Rhode Island, and a deserted table by the sea.
Paintings of people watching plays, by Daumier, Degas, Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and others.
From the eighteenth century, organised circuses toured cities, and some were established to operate year-round. Here are paintings to make you gasp with wonder.
The Eclectic Light Company 