Aldabert J Volck (Bavaria, Germany 1848-1912 Baltimore, Maryland), Female Art Students in Studio, 1873, Oil on Canvas, Museum purchase, The Class of 1947 Acquisition Fund, 2019.1

Born in Germany, Aldabert Volck learned to etch at an artists’ colony near Nuremberg. He emigrated to the United States just before the Civil War and found work as a dentist. Settling in Baltimore, Volck married a local woman and joined a group known to support the Confederacy. Professionally admired for his advances in porcelain dental restorations, Volck became well known artistically for his satirical cartoons mocking the Union. A drastic contrast from his politically charged prints, this oil on canvas, painted in 1873, depicts an art lesson with female students. In the 1850s, the art market began to grow in the United States as auction houses and galleries were set up—an influx of new artists, including female artists, entered the market to meet the demand. The strong market, once dominated by portraiture, produced a new audience for landscapes and genre paintings. In addition, the Civil War left a decimated generation of young men, and women frequently took on historically masculine roles. The women painted here attend an art class, previously a predominantly male sphere. This painting features two prominent aspects of American art in the 19th century: genre scenes and the introduction of female artists.