For this event, she sculpted a monumental, full-body image of Cleopatra, seated on her throne, in the last moments of her life after allowing herself to be bitten by a poisonous snake. Remember: Edmonia Lewis knew what she was doing, and she was very smart with her intentions for her work. In our own age and with the internet at the ready, our footprints last a bit longer, but over 150 years ago, there lived an artist so lauded, so celebrated, that people would visit her art studio from the world over, but by the beginning of the 20th century, few remembered her name. Thank goodness this story has a happy ending, or at least a happy-ish. At the age of only 21, she was fortunate enough to be awarded a private studio in the gallery of an Italian duke, an unimaginable privilege for any artist, let alone a female one. During her six-month-long stay in Ireland, she received an overwhelming amount of commissions to paint several other portraits of Ireland’s nobility. Our theme music is by Alex Davis at alexdavismusic.com, our logo is by Dave Rainey at daveraineydesign.com, and social media help is by Emily Crockett and Caroline Haller. At that point, she made a change and moved, in 1901, to London. And that’s fine-- as an art historian, I don’t expect everyone to know a phone book’s worth of artists, and granted, the names of famous musicians or current movie stars are probably more at the front of minds than painters from long ago. And one of the biggest was the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, held in Philadelphia that year. She often accompanied him on his travels, assisting him on various commissioned projects throughout Italy and Austria, and having the opportunity to travel so frequently enabled the young Angelica to not only experience new environments, but also meet and engage with like-minded artists along the way. Disposing of Darger’s items wouldn’t be just throwing away junk-- it would have been the dismissal of a man’s entire body of work, a sincere and innovative reflection of his unique views of the world-- its rights and wrongs, its struggles and pain, its joys and triumphs. You can help our show as well by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen-- believe me, it makes a huge difference and helps new listeners tune in. So Lewis sculpted her game-changing sculpture in gorgeously pure white marble, effectively and almost literally whitewashing Cleopatra from a racial perspective. In fact, something rather wonderful was happening in Rome at this time-- it was a gathering place for a group of American women sculptors, expatriates all, who were working together and supporting one another’s endeavors. The ArtCurious Podcast is also fiscally sponsored by VAE Raleigh, a 501c3 nonprofit creativity incubator. She left Rome for London on June 22, 1766, and it worked for her-- she ended up remaining in London for the next fourteen years. At the same time, though, there was no doubt that Young Darger was extremely smart, ahead of the curve in terms of intellect, and better at reading and writing than most other children his age due to his father’s support of literacy and learning. Book Me! She was exhaustively sought out after by hundreds of wealthy patrons from all over the European continent wishing to have their portrait painted by the great Angelica Kauffman or to purchase one of her own neoclassical scenes. But first, a little background. With threats of public exposure and attempts at abduction, Brandt blackmailed the Kauffmans and his eventual disappearance was bought with an enormous bribe…[Angelica’s] mock marriage was, it is true, secret, but she was the subject of much conjecture and gossip, intensified by the real Count’s arrival in London...Added to which, all her savings were spent, and she was forced to work as never before. It was bought by a man known as  “Blind John” Condon, a saloon owner in Chicago. One English patron in particular, a woman known as Lady Wentworth, made an immense impact on Angelica’s career. I'm Jennifer Dasal. When she returned to London the following year, she even expanded her practice to etching and engraving, creating a total of forty-four plates. and one who was praised during her own time and far after into the neoclassical period as the ideal mother. Top-tier podcasts and video. Thank you for listening to the ArtCurious Podcast. He produced over 30,000 pages of content over his lifetime, all about the things so often out of our control: our destinies, the battle between good and evil, and the fight for the ones we love. Again, no evidence came to light to support this, but the damage was still done. ArtCurious is designed for everyone: art fans and newbies. Over the years there has been speculation about the real Darger’s relationship with children, especially young girls, given his focus on them in his art and writings. We’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at artcuriouspod. As many would do in the same position, Lewis tended to emphasize and/or tweak certain aspects of her background to different publications and audiences, depending on what she was attempting to promote or sell. We’re also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at artcuriouspod. Condon’s side hustle was a horse racing track in nearby Forest Park, Illinois, where his favorite mare, named Cleopatra, frequently ran. This woman could do it all. And it was within this environment that the signs of trouble in Henry’s life began to manifest themselves. This was huge, literally. It’s a trip. When the original May 9 newspaper clipping disappeared from Darger’s archive, possibly as part of a robbery of his belongings at work, the Paroubek story galvanized, for the artist, into a true cause, an obsession over which he would toil for decades and 15,000 pages-- as if the loss of Paroubek in both real and newspaper-clipping form could be atoned for in an epic tale of childhood bravery and vigilante justice on the part of none other than a band of seven young girls. Later in life, he recounted a distressing capture on his first escape, wherein he was caught by a boy--not much older than himself-- who was riding a horse. And it was Italy where Angelica was most inspired. One evening, while walking home at night on her own, Edmonia Lewis was attacked, dragged into a nearby field, and beaten nearly to death. But as a woman of partial African-American heritage, she was careful not to allude directly to the emancipation of slaves, nor to any possibly touchy subjects that might infuriate a still-seething, post-Civil War country. But it was Rome, where she made multiple visits in the early 1760s, that truly opened up the world for her. Born in Chur, Switzerland,  in October 1741, Kauffman was, to say the least, a child prodigy - not only was she an immensely talented painter, but also a multi-linguist, with fluency in at least German, French, Italian, and English, and was a promising musician with a potential future as an opera singer. And she certainly wasn’t alone. 1859 was a big year for Edmonia Lewis-- her older brother, Samuel, had moved West previously with hopes of prospecting gold, and with his financial assistance, Edmonia Lewis moved to Ohio in 1859 to attend Oberlin College with the intention of studying art there. Eventually, she secured enough funds to finally buy her own house in Golden Square. The understandable horror and uproar that accompanied this and many subsequent articles in the Chicago Daily News kept poor little Elise’s sad tale in the limelight for weeks, and Darger, furious with the injustice of child murder, kept a growing pile of newspaper clippings about the case to locate Elise’s murder. Home to artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of skills among creatives in the Triangle. Only in 2017 did a coalition of researchers finally pin down the date of her death-- September 17, 1907-- as well as answer that long-asked question: where did she end up? During the first few months of her stay, she lived in Lady Wentworth’s home, located in central London. It was almost a kind of rags-to-riches story-- look at the artist now, who not only could indeed “make a man in stone,” but also had the right knowledge and training to make it big. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Our theme music is by Alex Davis at alexdavismusic.com, our logo is by Dave Rainey at daveraineydesign.com, and social media help is by Emily Crockett and Caroline Haller. Thank you! To listen to this episode, please click here. This episode was written, produced, and narrated by me, Jennifer Dasal, with additional writing and research help by Adria Gunter. Did Van Gogh actually kill himself? Henry Senior and Henry Junior, by all accounts, got along well. No one would ever be identified as the perpetrator. You can help our show as well by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen-- believe me, it makes a huge difference and helps new listeners tune in. Central to Winckelmann’s beliefs was the notion that the aesthetics of ancient Greek and Roman art were superior to all others. We’re a fully independent podcast, and we rely on sponsors and donations to keep us going, so if you enjoy this show and have the means, please consider giving $10 to help this show, and thank you for your kindness. He wasn’t an artist. Trends come and go, and fads are usually short-lived, sure, so that’s not a huge mystery, but how can a highly-lauded and celebrated public figure, for example, move from acclaim to obscurity with hardly a second thought? I'm Jennifer Dasal. But there are hints in Darger’s own autobiographical writings that point to a couple different formative moments. For most Americans, there’s a list of artists that they might be able to rattle off if pressed to name them off the top of their heads. Perhaps the most fascinating story about Edmonia Lewis isn’t about her, per se, but about the life of her most famous work of art, a story that reveals the rise, fall, and rise again of Edmonia Lewis’s popularity, influence, and acceptance.