Tulipmania has stuck in our collective memory as one of the biggest economic calamities to ever strike the western world. The popular narrative holds that in 17th century Holland, ​​homes were mortgaged, reputations were ruined, and livelihoods were lost—all so that tulip bulbs could be bought at higher and higher prices. And when the “bubble” burst, chaos ensued.

In fact, the truth was far less sensational. But contemporary 17th-century artworks can shed some light on the real Tulip Fever, and perhaps give us some clues as to why Tulipmania continues to hold such power over our notions of the Dutch Golden Age.

Today's Images: Jan Breughel the Elder, Still Life with Tulips, Chrysanthemums, Narcissi, Roses, Irises and other Flowers in a Glass Vase (1608-1610). Oil on copper. The National Gallery, London.

and

Jan Brueghel the Younger, A Satire of Tulip Mania (c. 1640-1650). Oil on Panel. Frans Hals Museum, Netherlands.

Jan Brueghel the Younger, Allegory of Tulipomania (c. 1640-1650). Oil and gold on Panel. Private collection, France.

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Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte (1785-1879) was one of America’s first international celebrities and self-made women. But how did this Baltimore girl come to count royalty among her in-laws—a century or two before the likes of Wallis Simpson and Meghan Markle snagged their princes? The answer may lie in her unique triple-view portrait by Gilbert Stuart…or is that only part of Elizabeth’s story?

Today's Image: Gilbert Stuart, Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte (1804). Oil on canvas. Private collection.

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Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) is considered one of American’s greatest modern artists. His works combine a regionalist simplicity with a surrealist view of the inner world. But without the people and places that inspired him and allowed him to channel his emotions onto the canvas, we might never have seen that inner world at all.

Let’s take a walk through the life of Andrew Wyeth, encountering the several muses that played an integral part in his creative process, as we endeavor to answer, “What is a muse?”

Today’s artwork: Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World (1948). Tempera on Panel. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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Sandro Botticelli (c.1455-1510) is credited as the man behind some of the greatest mythological paintings in Western art history—a great feat, especially considering that we still don’t fully know the meaning behind his most ambitious work.

Primavera, or Spring (c. 1480) is brimming with allegorical puzzle pieces. Rather than using the Primavera to tell a story from the past, this week we’ll take a step into the painting itself in an effort to demystify what was once a prized possession of Florence’s Medici dynasty.

Today's Image: Sandro Botticelli, Primavera (Spring) (c. 1480). Tempera grassa on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

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In this episode, I put my art history degree to good use (finally) as we discuss a lesser-known portrait of Elizabeth I as she appeared late in the reign of her sister, Mary I, or early in her own reign. Painted in the image of her father, Henry VIII, Elizabeth is trying to communicate many things to many people all at once in this image. How can a single portrait represent her desire to overcome the struggles of her youth and be taken seriously as a pious, powerful female monarch?

Today's Image: English School, Queen Elizabeth I (“The Hever Portrait” or “The Chawton Portrait”) (1558). Oil on Panel. Hever Castle.

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This episode has everything: snakes, missing limbs, a true crime case, and sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni being annoyed.

Today’s artwork: Agesander of Rhodes, Athenodoros, and Polydorus (attr.), Laocoön and His Sons (Hellenistic Period?). Marble. Vatican Museums, Vatican City.

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The depiction of Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) as a woman of color in the Netflix series Bridgerton brought her to the forefront of a conversation about non-white historical figures. There’s been much debate over this Georgian queen’s character as a result. Was Queen Charlotte that formidable? And was she really mixed race? Much of the speculation over Charlotte’s ancestry comes from interpretations of Sir Allan Ramsay’s portraits of her, in which her features are, in one historian’s words, “conspicuously African.” We’ll examine the actual historical evidence that addresses Queen Charlotte’s background, but we’ll also try and get to know the woman behind all the spectacle and rhetoric. So, will the real Queen Charlotte please stand up?

Today’s artwork: Sir Allan Ramsay, Queen Charlotte (1762). Oil on canvas. Royal Collection Trust, U.K.

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Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s (1732-1806) painting The Swing is an icon of the Rococo era and a widely-celebrated depiction of innocent, carefree leisure. Or...is it? We’re unpacking some of the, er, erotically charged symbols that you might have missed when you first saw this painting in Disney’s Frozen. Listener discretion is advised for this episode, unless you’re a parent who is prepared to get really cool about some adult themes very quickly.

Today's Image: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Les hasards heureux de l'escarpolette (The Happy Hazards of the Swing) (1767). Oil on Canvas, 81 x 64.2 cm. Wallace Collection, London.

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In 1872, Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882) visited the photography studio of one William H. Mumler (1832-1884), who claimed to be able to capture images of deceased loved ones on film. A byproduct of Mrs. Lincoln's spiritualist beliefs, the photograph on which today's episode centers offers us a glimpse at the strange practices which Civil War-era Americans would resort to in their efforts to find comfort and solace in the wake of death and tragedy. 

Today's Image: William H. Mumler, “Mary Todd Lincoln,” (1872). Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, Allen County Public Library. Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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Jules Bastien-Lepage's life-size depiction of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) shows her at the very beginning of her journey to sainthood. But a lot happened between her spiritual awakening in 1425 and her canonization as the patron saint of France in 1920. So, how did she get there? And how was her image molded by the national and spiritual needs of a nation?

Today's image: Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc (1879). Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 

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