Tom Stammers is a historian of France and Reader in Art and Cultural history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. His first book, ‘The Purchase of the Past’ (Cambridge University Press), won the 2021 RHS Gladstone Prize.
The French national library's exceptional collections now have the setting they deserve
Exiled in England, Napoleon III’s widow made sure that for as long she lived there was a corner of Hampshire that was forever France
Iris Moon’s account of how masters of the decorative arts adapted to turbulent times is a suitably unsettling affair
In the late 19th century, Jewish families across Europe created homes that are monuments to the complexity of cosmopolitanism and integration
Rosemary Hill’s nimble survey shows how 19th-century antiquarians paved the way for modern historians
The dairy at Rambouillet was a masterpiece of neoclassical design
The collecting of women has often been regarded as mere shopping, but the efforts of both princesses and professional artists are now receiving their rightful dues
The Franco-Prussian war led to lasting political change and left behind a rich visual record
Dealers played a pivotal role in creating a demand for ancien–régime style across the Channel
The painter’s forensic study of his subjects allowed him to portray them with a startling emotional depth
