Rule Britannia? History painting in 18th-century Britain.(Cover Story)

From: History Today | Date: June 1, 1995| Author: Allen, Brian | Copyright information

Historic painters struggled to gain popular acceptance of their works throughout the first half of the 18th century, but the latter half of the century saw tremendous growth in the genre. The American-based painter Benjamin West's 'Death of General Wolfe' helped to fuel this growth period.

The dearth of history painting is one of the most remarkable aspects of any survey of British painting between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries and yet art historians have devoted little a...