WEBSITES

Heart's Ease: 19th Century
Introductory text and images lead students through an exploration of art in the 19th century.

National Gallery of Art: Romantics and Realists
This tour from the National Gallery of Art highlights the work of artists of the romantic and realist movements.

ArtLex: Romanticism
An overview of romanticism in the visual arts is provided by the ArtLex dictionary, with links to many examples.

WebMuseum: Realism
Nicolas Pioch's WebMuseum, Paris, offers this brief overview of the realist movement, with links to images.

The Victorian Web: The Arts in Victorian Britain
Part of the Victorian Web, originated by George P. Landow at Brown University, this page offers a survey of Victorian art institutions and information on design, painting, sculpture, illustration, architecture, and popular arts in Victorian Britain.

WebMuseum: Revolution and Restoration in France, 1740–1860
This overview of the visual arts in France during the late 18th and early 19th centuries is provided by Nicolas Pioch's WebMuseum, Paris.

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

The Musée d'Orsay
Highlights from the Orsay's world-class collection of 19th-century art are among the many features of this official website.

The National Gallery, London
The National Gallery boasts a thorough online database of their collection—an invaluable resource for students of 19th-century art, given the Gallery's vast holdings in this area.

The Art Institute of Chicago
Virtual gallery tours, collection highlights, and educational features offer students multiple avenues for examining the Art Institute's renowned collection in 19th-century art.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met's collection contains more than two million works of art from all points of the compass, spanning ancient through modern times, and 19th-century art is well-represented.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the Clark Institute boasts particularly strong holdings in 19th-century European and American art.

National Gallery of Art: French Painting of the 19th Century
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., offers 12 virtual tours through 19th-century French painting, including images and descriptive text.

The Museum of Fine Arts
The 19th century is particularly well-represented at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Bostonians were among the first to collect works by impressionist painters, and their efforts resulted in one of the world's most important collections of the art of that period.

The Phillips Collection
This museum is based on the holdings of Duncan Phillips, a major collector of late 19th- and early 20th-century art who bequeathed his home as an intimate setting for the viewing of these works.

The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
The name says it all: This museum houses a marvelous collection of major works by the postimpressionist painter.

The Norton Simon Museum
The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, houses an impressive collection of 19th-century European art, with many masterpieces from the impressionist era.

BOOK PICKS

General

19th-Century Art
This classic survey of 19th-century art, written by two of its most prominent scholars, leads the reader from the pre-revolutionary era through the end of the century, considering canonical works of painting and sculpture in their historical and artistic context.

19th-Century Art: A Critical History (Second Edition)
Essays by several of today's best-regarded scholars make this innovative survey an invaluable foundation for the critically informed student of 19th-century art and its history.

Art in Theory, 1815–1900
Charles Harrison, Paul Wood, and Jason Gaiger offer a stunning array of primary sources that are helpful for understanding the art of the 19th-century, from aesthetic theories to the writings of particular artists.

Modern Art and Modernism: A Critical Anthology
Francis Frascina's book features a group of broad, stimulating discussions of culture and art in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Politics of Vision:Essays on 19th-Century Art and Society
Through a series of essays that explore the interrelation of cultural politics and the visual arts, Linda Nochlin's unique approach to art history deepens the reader's engagement with the art of the 19th century.

Romanticism

Romanticism
From Phaidon's excellent Art & Ideas series, David Blayney Brown's volume provides an ideal introduction to art of the romantic period. Beautifully illustrated and comprehensive in its coverage of this era, Romanticism examines key artists and images alongside prominent social and cultural currents. Brief biographies, a chronology, map, and suggestions for further reading make it an indispensable little volume.

Realism (Style and Civilization)
Linda Nochlin brings social and cultural insights to bear on mid-19th century French painting in this concise introductory study of the realist movement.

Impressionism: Beneath the Surface
Paul Smith offers a short, readable introduction to the period.

Post-Impressionism
Bernard Denvir authored this short, readable introduction to the period that brought us artists such as van Gogh and Gauguin.