German Women Active in the Study and Promotion of Art History in Latvia from the 1880s until 1915
German Women Active in the Study and Promotion of Art History in Latvia from the 1880s until 1915

Summary/Abstract: During the last decades of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, there was a quite large and diverse body of critical and historical texts about art published in newspapers and magazines in Latvia; these were written by various authors, among them some women as well. This article collects together for the first time information about the very first women of German origin whose public activities in Latvia were in the field of art history. It provides a brief overview of the life stories and professional activities of four women from local German society: teachers Rosalie Schoenflies (1844–1916) and Bertha Noelting (1848–1921) who gave public lectures on art and wrote texts dedicated to art; the painter Elly von Loudon (1852–1926) who focused on researching and copying Italian Renaissance frescoes, and published several articles on Italian art; and the artist and art teacher Susa Walter (1874–1945) who at the beginning of the 20th century was one of the most prolific art critics in the local German-language press.

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