From drawing manual to academy. The training of Brussels 19th-century female amateur artists pertaining to the nobility

Abstract

In the 19th century, girls from the middle class, the nobility and the royal families in Europe received an artistic education. A few decided to become professional artists, which was made possible, among other things, by the growing range of education on offer. The understudied majority practiced the arts as amateurs. This article focuses on the artistic education of amateur artists and specifically on that of noble women in 19th-century Brussels. For the nobility, artistic education was very important, however it rarely produced professional artists. The capital offered ample education opportunities. The results from sources in private archives deepen the knowledge about amateur female artists and the artistic landscape, while contextualizing the findings about professional female artists.

Keywords

• Brussels society
• culture
• education
• gender
• history