Florine Langweil and the Rise of the East Asian Art Market (1852-1945)

FAIN: HB-294883-24

Elizabeth N. Emery
Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ 07043-1600)

Research and writing leading to a book about the Alsatian art dealer Florine Langweil (1861-1958) and the emergence of the international art market for East Asian art, from 1852 to 1945.

Searching the Internet for “19th-century art market” returns results (text and image) featuring European paintings and sculptures sold by men. Generally absent from the accepted story of the 19th-century European art market is the trade in works from the Far East—notably Japan and China—many sold by women and Japanese and Chinese nationals. Florine Langweil and the Rise of the East Asian Art Market (1852-1945) adds a new dimension to understanding of this market by telling the forgotten story of Florine Langweil, one of the most important dealers in East Asian art. Her social ascension from working-class Alsatian transplant to Parisian notable and international advocate for public museums provides fresh insights into this international market and the opportunities it offered women and immigrants. This first book to trace Langweil’s important contributions to the international art market raises questions about power, prestige, and public institutions central to the humanities.

Associated Products

WMSC Morning Buzz interview (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: WMSC Morning Buzz interview
Producer: Nicole Passero
Abstract: Interview with student radio program about the NEH and my product.
Date: 02/28/2024
Primary URL: https://wmscradio.com/morning-buzz/
Access Model: Open access
Format: Radio

Producing “Oriental Art” in Paris from 1878 to 1914: Art Dealers, Goods, and Galleries (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Producing “Oriental Art” in Paris from 1878 to 1914: Art Dealers, Goods, and Galleries
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Abstract: Paper delivered at the Nineteenth-Century French Studies Conference (“Producing and Receiving”), Duke University, North Carolina, Sept. 19-21, 2024.
Date: 09/21/2024
Primary URL: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://ncfs-assn.byu.edu/files/2024/09/2024-NCFS-Program.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj-3cGVibiOAxW7FVkFHVXhHYkQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw352EdbwWKINwJ0u0W-1qPE
Conference Name: Nineteenth-Century French Studies, "Producing and Receiving"

“Madame Langweil’s Coromandel Screens”: The Paris Market for Kuancai Lacquer, 1890-1935" (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: “Madame Langweil’s Coromandel Screens”: The Paris Market for Kuancai Lacquer, 1890-1935"
Abstract: Presentation for the "Unfolding the Coromandel Screen Conference," funded by the Bei Shan Tang Foundation at Hong Kong City University, Hong Kong, 22-23 November 2024
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Date: 11/22/2024
Location: Hong Kong
Primary URL: https://www.cah.cityu.edu.hk/events/Coromandel-Screen-Conference

Esprit d’équipe, esprit de corps: l’invention d’un “Japon” franco-japonais dans Paris Illustré (mai 1886) (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Esprit d’équipe, esprit de corps: l’invention d’un “Japon” franco-japonais dans Paris Illustré (mai 1886)
Abstract: Participation in the public colloquium "Japonisme et imprimé en France" co-sponsored by Tokyo University and Sorbonne University, Feb. 21-22, 2025.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Date: 02/21/2025
Location: Tokyo
Primary URL: https://lettres.sorbonne-universite.fr/evenements/japonisme-et-imprime-en-france

“Le Goût du Coromandel en France, 1850-1958. Paravents et Provenances.” Workshop for the patrimony team at CHANEL in Paris (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: “Le Goût du Coromandel en France, 1850-1958. Paravents et Provenances.” Workshop for the patrimony team at CHANEL in Paris
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Abstract: This invited workshop was presented to the CHANEL patrimony team in Paris to help contextualize Gabrielle Chanel's predilection for Coromandel screens.
Year: 2025
Audience: Other

Keynote speech for the World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Keynote speech for the World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony
Abstract: Keynote speech for students, faculty, and families participating in the World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Passaic County Technical-Vocational School.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Date: 04/29/2025
Location: Passaic County, New Jersey

Objets et Sociabilités: Les « japonisants » au tournant du XXe siècle (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Objets et Sociabilités: Les « japonisants » au tournant du XXe siècle
Abstract: Public lecture for the 2025 Printemps asiatique festival in Paris, sponsored by Le Carré rive gauche. Paris, France, June 12, 2025.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Date: 06/12/2025
Location: Paris, France
Primary URL: https://www.printemps-asiatique-paris.com/event-details/carre-rive-gauche

Edmond de Goncourt's Utamaro (1891) and Hokusai (1896): Histoire du Japon or histoires japonaises? (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Edmond de Goncourt's Utamaro (1891) and Hokusai (1896): Histoire du Japon or histoires japonaises?
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Abstract: Presentation for a workshop on Cultural Production in the 19th Century ("Histoire/Histoires"). Held at the American University of Paris and Université Paris Cité, France, June 25-26, 2025 and co-sponsored by Université Paris Cité, University of Florida, Virginia Tech, and The American University of Paris
Date: 06/25/2025
Conference Name: Cultural Production in the 19th Century: Histoire et Histoires

Edmond de Goncourt's Japan: A Modern Naturalist Adventure. (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Edmond de Goncourt's Japan: A Modern Naturalist Adventure.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Abstract: Conference presentation for the International Conference on Émile Zola, Naturalism and Progress hosted by the department of communication and information sciences and technologies. University of Maia, Portugal. June 26-28, 2025.
Date: 06/27/2025
Primary URL: http://aizen.zolanaturalismassoc.org/events/Maia2025/
Conference Name: International Conference on Émile Zola, Naturalism and Progress

Florine Ebstein Langweil (1861-1958): Championne des arts asiatiques. (Article)
Title: Florine Ebstein Langweil (1861-1958): Championne des arts asiatiques.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Abstract: Article about Langweil published in Le Bulletin de l’Association Franco-Japonaise 161 (2024): 4-20.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://www.afjbulletins.com
Access Model: Open access
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: Le Bulletin de l’Association Franco-Japonaise
Publisher: Le Bulletin de l’Association Franco-Japonaise

Florine Ebstein Langweil (1861-1958): Jewish Networks in the East Asian Art Trade. (Book Section)
Title: Florine Ebstein Langweil (1861-1958): Jewish Networks in the East Asian Art Trade.
Author: Elizabeth Emery
Editor: Tom Stammer
Editor: Silvia Davoli
Abstract: Book chapter in Jewish Dealers and the European Art Market, c. 1860–1940, ed. Tom Stammers and Silvia Davoli. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2025, pp. 129-146.
Year: 2025
Primary URL: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/jewish-dealers-and-the-european-art-market-c-18601940-9781350473683/
Access Model: Subscription
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Book Title: Jewish Dealers and the European Art Market, c. 1860–1940
ISBN: 978135047368

---