1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,239 Speaker 1: Hey, history enthusiasts, you get not one, but two events 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: in history today on with the show Hi, I'm Eves 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: and welcome to this day in History Class, a show 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: that on covers a little bit more about history every day. 5 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: The day was April seventeen. Elizabeth Louise Vja was born 6 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: in Paris to Louis j In Jean Mussan. From the 7 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: time she was a young girl, Elizabeth took an interest 8 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: in art, and by the time she was fifteen, she 9 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: was making enough money from her art to support her family. 10 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's mother was a hairdresser, which meant she had some 11 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: contact with aristocrats. Elizabeth's father was a past dale portraitist, 12 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: and he trained her as an artist when she returned 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: home from a convent she attended as a young girl. 14 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: His artistry also gave the family access to the larger 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: art world, and she was taught by other popular artists. 16 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: In her memoirs, Elizabeth recounted how much art consumed her 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: as a child, saying, I scrawled on everything at all seasons. 18 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: My copybooks and even those of my schoolmates had their 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: margins crammed with tiny drawings of heads and profiles. But 20 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: Elizabeth's father died when she was only twelve years old, 21 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: and her passion for art waned for a little while. 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,919 Speaker 1: Within a year, her mother had married a jeweler whom 23 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: Elizabeth and her brother Etienne despised. Elizabeth's interests in art 24 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: quickly returned, though, as painter Gabrielle Francois Doya, an old 25 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: family friend, encouraged her to keep making art, and she 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: went to museums and galleries with her mom, studying the 27 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: masterpieces of renowned artists. She often visited the Louver and 28 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: copy artworks of artists like Van Dyke and Rembrandt. Her 29 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: painting style was not quite Rococo, but not completely Neo 30 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: Classicist either. As her skill crew so did the number 31 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: of people who wanted her to pay their portraits, and 32 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: her commissions provided the financially strained family with much needed money. 33 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: At age nineteen, she became a member of the Painters 34 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: Guild of the Academy the Saint Luke. By seventeen seventy six, 35 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: Elizabeth had married Jean Baptiste Pierre Liberal, an art dealer 36 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: and artist. The marriage gave her even more access to 37 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: art collections and the top tiers of French society. Though 38 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: the marriage was good for her professional life. Jean Baptiste 39 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: Pierre wasn't a great husband, as he was prone to 40 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: gambling off Elizabeth's money, among other misties. The couple had 41 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: a daughter named Jean Julie Louise, whom Elizabeth loved. When 42 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: Elizabeth was twenty three, and Priss Maria Teresa of Austria 43 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: commissioned Elizabeth to paint a portrait of her daughter, none 44 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: other than Queen Marie Antoinette. Elizabeth was known for her 45 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: ability to make her clients comfortable, and soon she and 46 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: the Queen became friends. Over a decade, she painted thirty 47 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: portraits of Marie Antoinette. Thanks to her increasing popularity and 48 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: relationship with the Queen, Elizabeth was soon accepted as a 49 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. When 50 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: she was admitted at the age of twenty eight and 51 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: seventeen eighty three, she was one of just four women 52 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: in the academy. Elizabeth was hosting social gatherings at her 53 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: home and she was painting so much it was literally 54 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: making her sick. But even though her notoriety as an 55 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: artist was growing, the French Revolution forced her to flee France. 56 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: In seventeen eighty nine, she moved with her daughter to 57 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: Italy with little money to her name, then several other 58 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: places in Europe, during which time she continued to paint 59 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: portraits and landscapes. She had prestigious clients wherever she went, 60 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: as her reputation preceded her. Elizabeth and her husband divorced 61 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: in seventee and she ended up settling in Russia for 62 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: six years. While in Russia, her mother died and her 63 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: daughter married a man whom she wasn't particularly fond of. 64 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: She went back to Paris after the Revolution, but she 65 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: wasn't really feeling the city's new vibe. But after a 66 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: stint in London, Elizabeth ended up back in France, where 67 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: she lived for the rest of her life. Sadly, her 68 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: ex husband, daughter, and brother died in her later years, 69 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: but she never stopped making art. Throughout her lifetime, Elizabeth 70 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: is estimated to have made more than six hundred paintings. 71 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: She was elected to art academies and ten cities, and 72 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: found success in the arts despite being a largely self 73 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: taught woman. In eight thirty five, she published the first 74 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: volume of her memoirs. Elizabeth died in March of eighteen 75 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: forty two, though the first major international retrospective of her 76 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: art wasn't held until more than seventy years after her death. 77 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth is now known for her naturalistic and relaxed art style, 78 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: sympathy with her sitters, and technical skill. I'm Eve, Jeff Coo, 79 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 80 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. If you'd like to learn more 81 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: about Elizabeth, listen to the episode of Stuff You Missed 82 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: in History Class called Elizabeth les viv. If you're so inclined, 83 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: you can follow us at T D I h C 84 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Come back tomorrow for 85 00:05:50,360 --> 00:06:04,679 Speaker 1: another tidbet from History. Hello from the History Closet everyone, 86 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: I'm Eves and welcome to another episode of This Day 87 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: and History Class. Like so many of you, I am 88 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: at home, but I am doing well and I hope 89 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: you're doing well too, And as always, the show goes on. 90 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: The day was April six, eighteen fifty three. The Great 91 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: Indian Peninsula Railway opened the first commercial passenger train service 92 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: in India. This service was not the first railway that 93 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: operated in the country. The Red Hill Railroad, built in 94 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: Madras in the mid eighteen thirties was the first railway 95 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: in India. It was built for the carriage of minerals 96 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: and it was an operation by eighteen thirty seven. In 97 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,919 Speaker 1: May of eighteen forty five, the Madras Railway Company was established. 98 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 1: In that same year, the East India Railway Company was 99 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: also formed, but these railways were built to transport materials, 100 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: not passengers. Throughout the beginning of the eighteen forties, British 101 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: people promoted the idea of constructing railway lines in India. 102 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: Roland McDonald Stevenson supported the creation of a line from 103 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: Calcutta towards Delhi and Varonesey, and he published a text 104 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: called Report upon the Practicability and Advantages of the Introduction 105 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: of Railways into British India. British civil engineer Charles Blacker 106 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: Vignol submitted a report to the East India Company on 107 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: the potential of constructing a railway network in India. The 108 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: proposal had colonial designs with an aim of facilitating trade 109 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: and managing the country. In eighteen forty three, Governor General 110 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: Lord Harding claimed that the railways would be beneficial to 111 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: the quote commerce, government and military control of the country, 112 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: and Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor General of India 113 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:58,160 Speaker 1: starting at eighteen forty eight, advocated in trusting railway construction 114 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: to private companies rather than let the government be in 115 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: charge of constructing railways. On August one, eight nine, the 116 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: Great Indian Peninsula Railway or the g I p R 117 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: was incorporated by an act of the British Parliament. A 118 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: couple of weeks later, the East India Company entered into 119 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: contracts with the East Indian Railway Company and the g 120 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: I PR Company for the construction of experimental lines. The 121 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: East India Company was a monopolistic training company that eventually 122 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: became involved in politics and extended Britain's imperial power in India. 123 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: Per the old guarantee system, free land and a guaranteed 124 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: five percent rate of return was provided to British companies 125 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: willing to build railways. On April eighteen fifty three, the 126 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: first commercial passenger train in India was inaugurated when the 127 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: first section of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway opened. The 128 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: train departed from Bori Bunder station in present day Mumbai 129 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: that afternoon headed for Tana. It had fourteen railway carriages 130 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: and four hundred guests and it was hauled by three locomotives. 131 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: The trip was about twenty one miles or thirty four kilometers. 132 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: The second section of the railway from Tana to kel 133 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: Yahn opened in eighteen fifty four. That same year, the 134 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: East Indian Railway Company opened to passenger service that ran 135 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: from Howrah, which is near Calcutta, to Hoogli. From the 136 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: eighteen fifties onward, passenger railways in India were expanded. By 137 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty, around nine thousand miles of railways spanned across India. 138 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: The railways allowed the British to transport goods and to 139 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: deploy officials and military resources. Many people who constructed the 140 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: railways died from the working conditions and diseases that hit camps. 141 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: The railways were a major part of the colonial project, 142 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: but the number of Indian passengers also increased over the years. 143 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: Rail travel also highlighted cast divides in India. In nineteen hundred, 144 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: the Indian government purchased the g I p R. Half 145 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: a century later, the g I p R combined with 146 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: other railways to form a zone of Indian railways called 147 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: Central Railway. India's national rail network is the fourth longest 148 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: in the world. The history of railways in India is 149 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: intertwined with the British legacy of colonization, exploitation, and racism 150 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:24,079 Speaker 1: in the country. I'm Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you 151 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 152 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: And if you have anything you'd like to tell us, 153 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: you can send us a note on social media at 154 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: t d i HC Podcast. You can also send us 155 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: an email at this day at i heeart media dot com. 156 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening to the show and we'll see 157 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: you again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 158 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 159 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.