Kathleen Langone

Throughout Amalia Kussner's life, besides the luminaries of the NY Gilded Age (such as Mrs. Astor) and the royalty of Europe, there were many other equally interesting people that came into her world. It was beyond the scope of this autobiography to list them all but here is a partial list:

1) Charlotte Knollys, Lady in Waiting to Queen Alexandra (wife of Edward VII)

2) Princess Sophie, a Lady in Waiting to Czarina Alexandra

3) Mrs. McKinnley (wife to the president)

It was always evident that Amalia had no qualms of dealing with people of weatlh and/or power. She seem to be at ease in any social setting. There was also a "freedom" of sort across Europe, that people of royalty, politicians, those of wealth, would meet at social events and there were no "nationalistic" boundaries at this time. This was all to change irrevocably with the start of WW1. 

It was obvious from looking at the hundreds of newspaper articles and some letters to Amalia, that she was a prominent personaltiy during the height of her career, 1892-1910. The lack of her being mentioned later as an artist - I am beginning to think she had a "fall from grace" from the American or British Gilded Age societies. There was every indication that she was a preferred artists of Edward VII, but as I state in her biography, did his passing - then push her aside, with the new more stern regin of George V? More to come on that theme in a future blog.

Folks - delighted to be posting my first blog as part of my new author's website. I will have a "new" blog post at least twcie a month if not more. The posts will be mostly history focused and a mix of interesting details on the Amalia Kussner biography and topics from my People Hidden in History podcast series. 

Amalia Kussner, as of today, is basically an unknown artist from the Gilded Age and her works are in very few museums. She however was one of the most well-known miniaturists from 1894-1911, and for a while in England, was "on par" with John Singer Sargent. Due to her popularity in New York (in the 1890's) she was really the first artist as part of the miniature portrait revival in this country. She then took her craft to England - to initially paint both the Prince of Wales and the famous Consuelo Vanderbilt, and many more from royal and titled lineage. Her fame continued to grow, as more Gilded Age luminaries sought her services.

What I call her "Year of Adventures" - started in March of 1899, when she painted the Czar and Czarina of Russia. She was warmly welcomed and painted both of them and likely their two daughters (only Tatiana and Olga were born as of 1899). Even this early on in the Czar's reign, she was closely watched and even followed as she walked around St. Petersburg. She later was to publish an amazingly detailed article about her visit in Century Magazine. The next six months - she rapidly produced more miniatures in both London and New York. But another adventure began when she decided to paint Cecil Rhodes (the diamond magnate), and travel all the way to South Africa. She had procurred tenative permission to paint Rhodes, but upon her arrival and the start of the Boer War, Rhodes left Cape Town to help defend the Kimberley diamond mines. Amalia was not to be deterred, and she took a train to Kimberley. The Boers even stopped the train, but allowed them to pass, seeing the passengers were not military. She arrvied uninvited to the Kimberley compound, and was reluctantly allowed in. Rhodes really had no choice, since the hostilities were closing in on the camp. She was then stuck at the camp, and endurred the shelling of the Boers and eventaully food rationing for 3 months. 

The telling of her adventures in 1899, highlights her persistence and bravery, are a good indication of her character and the biography dedicates a whole chapter to these extraordinary experiences. Without a doubt, Amalia was a complex character and my hope is that her biogrphay will provide the readers with the many facets of her personality.