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The Amazing Life of Gilded Age Artist Amalia Kussner

Join Kathleen Langone for a discussion of the life and work of Amalia Kussner, portrait artist of the Gilded Age.

Throughout the later half of the Gilded Age and up until WWI, Amalia Kussner was the sought after artist to render exquisite miniature portraits of many of the Who’s Who of that era. Her impressive list of portraits included, among many others: Edward VII, Mrs. Astor, Czar Nicholas II, Cecil Rhodes and the Duchess of Marlborough (born Consuelo Vanderbilt). As she became more famous in the Edwardian Era, her popularity was compared with John Singer Sargent, and both their works were seen in the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

But paralleling her astonishing career were scandals, such a a sudden and mysterious marriage in 1900, followed by a lawsuit which contents were never revealed.

This presentation will present the full arc of her amazing life, many images of her stunning portraits, and some new research Ms. Langone has uncovered since publishing the Kussner biography.

Kathleen Langone is an author and historical researcher whose work has been published in regional New England publications such as Boston magazine and various newspapers. She recently published the biography of Amalia Kussner titled The Miniature Painter Revealed, the fascinating yet forgotten artist of the Gilded Age. She is also the host of People Hidden in History, a podcast series that highlights fascinating people in the arts and politics who are unknown to the general public, spanning three-hundred years of history. She has been a speaker at museums, historical societies, libraries, the New York Adventure Club, and History Camp. She lives in Middleton, Massachusetts with her husband.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of Memorial Hall Library. 

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