anne royall (1769 - 1854)
Anne Royall, née Newport, was an American writer, newspaper editor and traveler, one of the first women journalists in the United States.
After the death of her husband William Royall in 1813, Anne was left destitute, but she did not despair and completely changed her life. She was about 50 years old when she set out to travel the country and describe what she saw. She visited Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, Springfield, Hartford, Worcester, Boston, and New Haven. In each city, she asked respected citizens for interviews and subscriptions to her future books. She made detailed notes on each town's population, industry, physical description, local transportation, regional dialects, fashions, and the character of its inhabitants.
In all, Anne Royall wrote ten volumes of travel books. She was 57 years old when she published under a pseudonym her first book, The Traveler: Sketches of History, Life, and Manners in the United States (1826), which provides a unique look at American life in the early nineteenth century. His first novel, The Tennessean, was published in 1827, followed by several others.
At the age of 62, in her home in Washington, D.C., Royall began publishing her own newspaper, Paul Pry (1831-1836) and then The Huntress (1836-1854). She exposed bribery and corruption and made many powerful enemies. Nevertheless, it is known that the intrepid journalist during her life met and talked with every man who occupied the presidential chair, from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln.
Gerard Dou was a Dutch Golden Age painter, whose small, highly polished paintings are typical of the Leiden fijnschilders. He specialised in genre scenes and is noted for his trompe-l'œil "niche" paintings and candlelit night-scenes with strong chiaroscuro. He was a student of Rembrandt.
Bernardino Luini, born in Runo, Lombardy around 1481, remains a significant figure in the 16th-century Lombard school of painting. A key member of the Milanese second Leonardo movement, he, along with Cesare da Sesto and Giampietrino Francesco Melzi, contributed to the essence of this artistic era. Luini's journey into art was accompanied by his marriage to Margherita Lomazzo in 1510. Among their four sons, Giovan Pietro and Aurelio followed their father's footsteps, becoming painters themselves. Influenced profoundly by Raphael's work, Melozzo da Forlì, and Leonardo da Vinci, Luini skillfully blended Leonardo's techniques with his own innovations. His Salome with the Beheading of John the Baptist (Uffizi) draws inspiration from Leonardo's La Scapigliata, while his Holy Family with the Infant John (Prado) echoes Leonardo's lost original sketch of affectionate children.
Luini's artistic journey began with the disputed but noteworthy Madonna with the Child and Two Saints (1507), now exhibited in Paris's Musée Jacquemart-André. One of his remarkable works, Madonna della Buonanotte, can be found in the Chiaravalle Milanese monastery. This painting held a unique purpose – after evening prayers, passing monks would be greeted by the artwork, offering them a peaceful night's rest. In later years, Luini's focus shifted to fresco painting. Notably, his captivating depictions of the Crucifixion in Lugano's Santa Maria degli Angioli church and the small-scale Crucifixion in San Nazario in Dino, a subdivision of Sonvico, are celebrated masterpieces that showcase his skill.
Bernardino Luini's legacy endures as a testament to his mastery of Lombard Renaissance art. His fusion of Leonardo's influence with his own creative brilliance left an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of the 16th century, making him an integral part of the Milanese second Leonardo movement.
