Salon Series | The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander

When:
Monday, Mar 31, 2025 6:00p -
7:00p

Where:
Boston Athenaeum
10 1/2 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108

EventScheduled OfflineEventAttendanceMode

Admission:
$20

Hosted by:
akwebiiha Angela

Categories:
Art, Good for Groups, History, Meetup

Event website:
events.bostonathenaeum.org/en-US/4W52KhR7/salon-series-or-the-art-and-life-of-francesca-alexander-5a2KUm4Hccr/overview

Francesca Alexander and her parents moved from Boston to Florence in 1853 and became part of a thriving international community. She was a largely self-taught artist, and both her art and writing focused on Italians and Italian life. Her portraits and nature studies, and her translations of songs and stories, were much admired by her contemporaries, including John Ruskin, who published three of her manuscripts and promoted her work to his followers. She used her earnings from the sale of these publications, and her art, to fund her many charitable endeavors; both friends and admirers marveled at her saintly character, which they linked to a romantic view of Italy itself. Nonetheless, in spite of her celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic, she and her work have been largely forgotten. Drawing on her work, as well as other sources including letters, diaries, guidebooks, newspapers and magazines, some of them in the collections of the Athenaeum, this talk will provide a vivid biography of Francesca Alexander, her art, and her place in history.


ABOUT THE SPEAKER


Jacqueline Marie Musacchio is Professor of Art at Wellesley College. Her scholarship examines the intersections of women and art from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. This talk is based on her recently published book of the same title, which relies in part on manuscripts by Francesca in the collection of the Athenaeum.

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03/31/2025 18:00:00 03/31/2025 19:00:00 America/New_York Salon Series | The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander <p>Francesca Alexander and her parents moved from Boston to Florence in 1853 and became part of a thriving international community. She was a largely self-taught artist, and both her art and writin...

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