To say that much has happened since our spring issue is an understatement. While all likely have felt the consequences of some combination of the pandemic, social unrest, and natural disasters, some have suffered much more than others. Our thoughts go out to our readers during these daunting days. Let’s hope that better times are ahead!

For most of us, the practice of art history, while seemingly futile amidst the events that have rocked the world (and especially the United States), has been a form of solace. At the same time, many among us are adjusting that practice to render it more relevant to the pressing issues of the moment—racism, social justice, and climate change. Our parent organization, the Association of Historians of Nineteenth-Century Art (AHNCA) has recently formed a working group on race and representation that intends to address some of these issues, particularly in the areas of pedagogy and diversity. In support of this initiative, NCAW will endeavor to solicit more articles on topics focused on hitherto neglected geographies of the nineteenth-century world, as well as on underrepresented artists and art forms.

Along with working on modifying the content of NCAW to make it more truly global, we will continue our website redesign project. In the interest of concluding our greeting with some positive news, we are happy to report that we received a grant from the Robert Lehman Foundation, which will make this redesign possible.

We hope you enjoy reading the current issue.

When we were about to launch this issue, we received the sad news that one of our major supporters, Michael Schwartz, passed away on October 1, 2020. In 1979, he and his wife Janet established Galerie Michael in Beverly Hills, CA. Specializing in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art, as well as Rembrandt prints, the gallery has done much to promote the art of the Barbizon school in California. Important French naturalist paintings have also graced its walls. Michael has supported Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide from the beginning. Indeed, without his help and the support of the late Hans A. Lüthy, another great friend of the journal, NCAW might not have been able to survive its infancy. Michael continued to make periodic donations to the journal over the years. We shall miss him for his generosity, as well as his warmth and sense of humor.