Edmund Blair Leighton (1853 – 1922) was an historical genre painter who is best known for paintings of regency and medieval times. The paintings are sentimental, but are still extremely popular as posters and prints. Very little is known about the artist. This biograpny of E.B. Leighton on ArtMagick offers the most comprehensive information about the painter, aside from Wikipedia. This link to the Art Renewal Center provides a photograph of the artist and an obituary.
A favour, Edmund Blair Leighton
The images, while idealized and a bit syrupy, and obviously painted during Edwardian and Victorian times, are still a joy to behold for their sweet nostalgia for a bygone era.
The request
The Windmiller's Guest
Walking to church
Sweets to the sweet
The piano lesson
Signing the register
More images at Enchanted Serenity of Period Films
Very interesting, Vic. They may be syrupy, but the one of the young woman on the terrace is very like so many of these costume dramas of the 1980s; the walk to the church too. I had never heard of Edmund Blair Leighton and am willing to suppose in his own time he was as known as the today more famous respected painters. Ellen
Thank you, Ellen. While I have seen many of these paintings, I never knew much about the painter. For someone who exhibited annually at the Royal Academy, curiously little is known about him. http://www.paintinghere.com/artist/Edmund_Blair_Leighton-1.html and http://www.paintinghere.com/artist-1/Edmund-Blair-Leighton-Paintings.html
Lovely to see these wonderful paintings…..many an inspiration for my dolls there!
Best wishes,
Louise.
http://www.angeliqueminiatures.co.uk
Blog http://angeliqueminiatures.wordpress.com/
Simply lovely. If only today’s women were as demure, and men so gentlemanly, as in that era. The details in the pictures are also so interesting! Thanks for sharing.
What a marvellous painter! I agree with Else. The beauty of those paintings are living me breathless. Thank you so much to teach us about him!
I love these pieces you selected to post. So romantic. And thanks for introducing me to this painter.
Beautiful paintings! Thanks for posting these!
I was familiar with his medieval work, but I didn’t realize he painted Regency, too. Thanks for the heads up!
I wonder if there’s a compilation of his works somewhere? I’d love to have a book of his works to look at.
I was interested in the wedding picture as I am just editing the bit about the wedding of Jane’s cousin Jane Cooper (I call her Jenny).
I wonder how authentic this outfit is, Vic, or is it a piece of Victorian sentimentality?
I’m forwarding the link to your blog to my editor at Macmillan. I don’t know why I haven’t done it before. She will be so interested in it as she is also a great jane Austen fan.
Cora, That is a piece of sentimentality. Queen Victoria set the precedent for a wedding depicted in this image. Please click on this link, which discusses weddings in the days before the Victorian age. https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/regency-wedding-dresses-and-later-developments-in-bridal-fashions/
I thought so! I must say that I love Princess Charlotte’s wedding dress – much more stylish.
Charming paintings! I have Pamela Aidan’s These three remain and I see that one of Leighton’s painting made the cover of this novel.
That was interesting. I really enjoyed looking at the paintings.