This lot features an original oil on canvas Italian city square scene by Anna E. Martino Blunden (British 1830 -1915). Anna Blunden was an English Pre-Raphaelite artist, and a member of John Ruskin's circle. She was one of a number of women artists working and exhibiting during the Victorian age. Her best known work is The Seamstress (c.1854), a piece inspired by Thomas Hood’s poem of the same name. Starting her career with oil painting, Blunden eventually moves onto watercolor landscapes that make up a large portion of her body of work. Her work was regularly showcased in the Royal Academy and the Society of British Arts from 1854 to 1867, as well as the Birmingham Society of Artists. In 1859, she and 37 other women petitioned for women's entry to the Royal Academy. Between 1855 and 1862, Blunden corresponded with Ruskin and received informal instruction from him. Ruskin got Blunden some of her commissions and encouraged her to visit and work in Italy, which she did from 1867–1872. She also traveled to Switzerland and Germany before setting up her studio in Rome. She returned home after her sister's death in 1872. Soon after, she married her brother-in-law Francis Richard Martino. and moved to Birmingham where her new husband owned a steel mill. She exhibited one final time at the Royal Academy in 1872, and begins to exhibit her work at the Birmingham Society of Artists in 1873. She raised three children and died in 1915. This painting depicts St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. Lovely details! Excellent condition, one small scrape. Signed "E. Martino" lower right register. Measures 22" x 34". This piece comes from the Dickenson Estate of Knoxville, TN. Please See Photos for Details. Shipping Available.