Women's Art Class
ca. 1868
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
26 7/8 x 23 1/4 in. (68.3 x 59.1 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Morris K. Jesup Fund, 1999
Accession Number
1999.143
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of *Women's Art Class*, a charming oil on canvas by American artist Louis Lang, painted around 1868. Measuring 26 7/8 x 23 1/4 inches, this work captures a group of female students gathered in a sunlit interior, diligently engaged in their artistic studies. Oil on canvas was the gold standard for 19th genre painters like Lang, allowing for rich textures, subtle light effects, and lifelike details that bring everyday scenes to vivid life. Created in post-Civil War America, painting reflects a pivotal moment when women's access to formal education, including art cla...