A Wild Bunch

Lisowczycy by the Polish painter Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (1824-1899). The Lisowczycy were a irregular unit of Polish–Lithuanian light cavalry in the 17th-century . The Lisowczycy took part in many battles across Europe and the historical accounts of the period characterized them as extremely agile, warlike, and bloodthirsty. Their numbers varied with time, from a few hundreds to several thousands. The fought first in Polish wars and later as mercenaries in the Thirty Years War.

A Meditative Genius

Michelangelo Visited in His Studio by Pope Julius II (1859) by the French painter Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889). Here the great genius contemplating his impressive statues visited by the most important patron of arts. What would Cabanel say with that?

Against the Forces of Nature

Snow Storm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps (1812) by the British painter. Though Turner is mostly considered a landscape painter he did here kind of history painting. At least he mixes both genres. That Hannibal and his army are not simply decoration indicates the date of the painting. Turner saw parallels between Hannibal and Napoleon, and the historic Punic War between Rome and Carthage and the contemporary Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France. So history is important as a looking glass on modern events.

Sugary History

The Landing of William Penn by the American history painter Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863-1930). There are a lot of nice (schoolbook) details, all the different costumes, the Native Americans, the trapper, the soldier, dutch settlers etc. There is even the year of the landing on the building.
Though it's sugary, too sweet, more like a costume ball.

Gentlemens Pleasures

Gentlemens pleasures by the French artist Adolphe Alexandre Lesrel (1839-1929). Another of the typical Lesrel genre paintings. Normally settled in the 17th century where men dresses in Rembrandt costumes have even a better time as on Rembrandt's paintings.