For the Dark

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Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (French painter, 1848-1903) Chair with Books and Candle, 1888..

Women by Christian von Schneidau (American artist, 1893–1976)

Christian von Schneidau (American artist, 1893–1976) Portrait of Bell Fulton Butts possibly

Although we will look at his colorful portraits of women here, Christian Von Schneidau also painted murals & landscapes. He was born in Smoland, Sweden, in 1893, immigrating to the United States in 1906, where he settled in Minnesota. He stayed in the Midwest for the next 10 years, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago, studying under Reynolds & Buehr, and later with Richard Miller & C.W. Hawthorne. In 1917, he moved to Los Angeles, where he opened the Von Schneidau School of Fine Art. He traveled to Alaska in the 1950s, where he painted the portraits of governors Egan & Heinzelman. Later he taught portrait painting at the Bakersfield Art Association. He 1st exhibited at the California Arts Club (1918) & continued exhibiting until 1952, mostly in California. Von Schneidau died in 1976 in Orange, California.


Christian von Schneidau (American artist, 1893–1976) Esther with a ViolinChristian von Schneidau (American artist, 1893–1976) Sister


Christian von Schneidau (American artist, 1893–1976) An Appeal

Women in Blue - For No Rhyme or Reason

Philip de Laszlo (Hungarian artist, 1869-1937) Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Duchess of York, later Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother 1925. Ivan Vishnyakov (Russian artist, 1699-1761) Portrait of S. E. Fermor, 1749.Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French Impressionist Painter, 1841-1919) Andree Heurschling in Blue 1917Pablo Picasso (Spanish artist, 1881-1973) The Artists's Sister, 1899.Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French Impressionist Painter, 1841-1919) Bust of a WomanPierre-Auguste Renoir (French Impressionist Painter, 1841-1919) The Parisian 1874 Laura Coombs Hills (American, 1859-1952) Fire Opal (Grace Mutell), 1899.V. L. Borovikovsky (Russian painter, 1757-1825) Catherine II, Walking Along the Tsarskoselskiy Park, 1794. Edouard Manet (French Realist, Impressionist painter, 1832-1883) Young Woman in a Round Hat 1877Mary Cassatt (American artist, 1844-1926) The Letter, c 1891.

Woman Artist - Vogue Illustrator Helen Dryden 1887-1981

July 1, 1919 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


November 20, 1923 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


1922 Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


Although largely forgotten today, Helen Dryden was credited in 1925—the year of the Paris Exposition from which the term Art Deco draws its name—with having developed & popularized what is now referred to as Art Deco fashion drawing some 17 years earlier.

The 1925 issue of The Biographical Cyclopaedia of American Women (of course, you must remember this is written by Americans...) states, "Most of us do not realize that the gaiety of the display in the newsstand is traceable to the pioneer spirit of one woman, to her initiative which created its own demand, her perseverance in the face of opposition, her vision of an original expression of art. Helen Dryden disclaims that this innovation in magazine covers and fashion drawings, with its resulting influence on posters, window display and advertising in general, comes entirely from her. She points out that many things were working together in that first decade of the Twentieth Century. She names the Russian Ballet, seen for the first time in America, the Bakst drawings, the growing reaction against timid pastel coloring and the smug realistic traditions. Be that as it may, she is directly responsible for the decorative magazine covers, and her fashion drawings were the first to embody stylistic features into the imaginative, exquisitely executed pieces of sophistication that adorn the modern fashion periodicals."
Baltimore-born Helen Dryden (1887-1981) was an illustrator & industrial designer in the 1920s and '30s. Helen had a Vogue contract that led to a 13-year collaboration (1909–1922), during which she produced many Vogue fashion illustrations and covers.


December 15, 1922 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


February 15, 1921 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


July 1, 1914 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


July 1, 1921 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


July 15, 1914 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


February 15, 1921 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


June 15, 1914 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)


March 1, 1923 by Helen Dryden (American artist, 1887-1981)

Delightful Distractions - 18th Century Shoes

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American portraits of women in the 18th-century only occasionally show shoes. These slippers worn by Mrs. William Frazer of Delaware, who was painted in 1798 by William Clarke, have always intrigued me. Here are a few 18th-century shoes from England & Europe with heels.



































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Delightful Distractions - A Few Fairly Fine Antique Shoes & Purses

18th-Century Shoes
18th-Century Shoes
18th-Century Shoes
18th-Century Shoes

1740 Ivory silk satin covered with appliqued strips of matching braid Museum of the City of New York
1770s Green spotted silk shoes Museum of the City of New York
1790 Leather Shoe Museum of the City of New York
1825 Bedroom needlework slippers with white satin rosettes Museum of the City of New York
1825 Purse with tortoise shell plaques on gilt stamped leather accordian pouch Museum of the City of New York
1830s Brown leather bedroom slipper with quilted top Adel-Hal, Paris Museum of the City of New York
1840s Canvas Beaded drawstring pouch illustrating Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe Museum of the City of New York
1850 Rose kid slippers with embroidered metalic thread flowers Museum of the City of New York
1885 Beaded leather slippers Museum of the City of New York
1890 Beaded bag with owl design Museum of the City of New York
1895 Velvet and satin show by L Perchellet, Paris Museum of the City of New York