The evils of absinthe in paintings by Degas, Raffaëlli, Jean Béraud, and other booze like Bocks by Manet and Friant, with artists also drinking heavily.
history
From 1880 workers’ strikes brought violence and strife to industrial regions throughout Europe, in the struggle for rights and justice. Shown here in contemporary paintings.
Meunier’s paintings of the Borinage in Belgium, Breitner’s construction in Amsterdam in the late 19th century, and Maximilen Luce’s of Paris in the early 20th century.
Iron and steel mills and foundries, a printing shop, a lead mine still employing children, and spinners – all relentlessly demanding, without lighter work.
Crowded apartments in Montmartre, the Lower East Side in New York City, smoke in Charleroi and Dortmund, workers’ cottages, and more smoke.
Gullible young women trafficked into prostitution, or were whole families squeezed out because of cold weather, crop failure including potato blight, loss of common land, and war.
By the end of the 19th century, 80% of those in Europe lived in towns and cities, drawn there by the promise of material riches that were not available to them in the country. This new series explores what they faced.
Short summaries of each of the articles in this series looking at the reality of life and work in the country from 1500 to the early 20th century.
Boudin’s beach paintings heralding Impressionism, the turn of the plough, the flax harvest, stave churches, an early mermaid, Turner’s white rabbit, and more.
Life in the country has its idyllic moments: a worker lying in the sun and flowers, a meal with violin music, country dancing, and courting, even among the cows.
The Eclectic Light Company 