Seven Years War is fought between Britain and France through their proxy colonies in North America, where the war is known as the French and Indian War.
The Spanish Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata is established, with Buenos Aires declared as the capital. The Viceroyalty extended across today’s Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and a portion of Bolivia.
The American Revolutionary War is fought when 13 British colonies declare their independence from Britain, forming the United States of America.
The Academia Real de las Nobles Artes de San Carlos (Royal Academy of the Noble Arts of San Carlos) is created in Mexico City.
Alexander von Humboldt, the Prussian naturalist and scientist, embarks on a journey through Spanish America (1799–1804), the first to scientifically document the flora, fauna, and geographic makeup of the region. Humboldt’s expeditions and his belief in the role of the artist in exploring and documenting the New World inspired generations of traveler-artists.
Federal government of the USA purchases 828,000 square miles of land from France in what becomes known as the Louisiana Purchase. This acquisition hugely expands the North American territory overseen by the USA, setting the stage for future westward expansion.
The Royal Court of Portugal relocates to Brazil after Portugal is invaded by Napoleon Bonaparte. Brazilian ports are opened for commerce.
During the Revolución de Mayo (May Revolution) the independence of Argentina is declared.
Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla inspires his followers to revolt against the Spanish crown and sparks the Mexican War of Independence, a revolution that lasts for more than 10 years. The war ends with the recognition of Mexico as an independent state that shares a monarch with Spain.
The USA and Britain fight the War of 1812.
The arrival of the French Mission in Rio de Janeiro brings a group of European artists who will establish the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. This group includes Nicolas Antonie Taunay, (1755–1830), the first teacher of landscape painting in Brazil.
Argentine General José de San Martín wins the battle against the Spanish army and liberates Santiago, Chile.
Símon Bolívar, called “El Libertador,” leads the invasion of Nueva Granada (today Colombia), liberating it from Spanish rule and becoming its first President. Bolívar would later defeat the Spanish army in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.
Prince Pedro of Portugal declares the independence of Brazil, becoming Emperor Pedro I.
The USA issues the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy declaring that both North and South America are closed to further European colonization and that any efforts on the parts of European countries to interfere with the territories of the Americas will be viewed by the USA as an act of aggression.
Bolivia, originally part of the Peruvian territory, declares itself an independent country.
The Treaty of Montevideo gives origin to Uruguay as an independent country, ending a 12 years’ war between Brazil and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata (today Argentina).
Democracy is established in Mexico with the election of the first president, Guadalupe Victoria. Slavery is abolished.
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil abdicates and returns to Portugal, naming his six-year-old son as his successor. Brazil will be ruled by Regents until 1841, when the Prince is crowned as Pedro II at the age of 15.
Bavarian painter Johann Moritz Rugendas, inspired by Alexander von Humboldt, arrives in Mexico, beginning an exploratory trip through the Americas that will last 15 years.
The first modern factory is built in Latin America: a powered cotton mill near Puebla, Mexico.
French artist Félix Emile Taunay is appointed director of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, a position he will occupy for 20 years.
Thomas Cole publishes “Essays on American Scenery” in American Monthly Magazine.
Two armed uprisings in Upper and Lower Canada break out due to frustrations with political reform and a desire for more autonomy from the British Empire.
The first Franco-Mexican War (also known as the Pastry War) erupts over demands that the Mexican government pay France 600,000 pesos for the damage done to a French pastry cook’s shop by looting Mexican officers.
Nathaniel Parker Willis publishes American Scenery, or, Land, Lake, and River Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature, a United States travel book. In 1842, he publishes a similar text on Canada.
British draftsman Frederick Catherwood and American writer John Lloyd Stephens travel to Yucatan and Central America, publishing their illustrated Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan. In 1843, they follow that up with Incidents of Travel in Yucatan. Both publications feed an international interest in Mayan culture and ruins.
The United States of America and Mexico wage the Mexican-American War. As a result, present-day California and much of the Southwest is ceded to the USA.
Gold is discovered in Coloma, California, sparking the California Gold Rush and bringing 300,000 people westward to California and the surrounding regions.
The Academia de Pintura is created in Santiago, Chile, by Neapolitan painter Alessandro Ciccarelli.
The Art Association of Montreal is established with the goal to foster appreciation of the fine arts.
The Great Exhibition, also referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition, is held in London. An exhibition of culture and industry from around the world, it is considered the first World’s Fair.
English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. Alexander von Humboldt dies.
The United States Civil War is waged, pitting northern and southern states in the USA against one another. By the end of the war, more than 620,000 people will have died and slavery will have been abolished.
The Second Franco-Mexican War erupts. France sends Maximilian Ferdinand, an archduke from the Royal House of Austria, to Mexico to be crowned as Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico, ousting democratically elected president Benito Juarez. When Mexican republican forces win the war in 1867, Maximilian is caught and executed. Benito Juarez returns to the office of the president when the war ends.
Paraguayan President Francisco Solano López orders the invasion of the Brazilian Province of Mato Grosso, beginning the largest military conflict to occur in South America. The Paraguayan War is fought between the Triple Alliance—formed by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay—against Paraguay. The war will only end with the death of Solano López. During this six-year conflict, Paraguay will lose 40% of its territory and around 70% of its male population.
The 1867 Constitution Act declares Canadian confederation, creating the federal Dominion of Canada. This transforms three British colonies into four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Canada eventually grows to include 10 provinces and three territories.
Exposition Universelle is held in Paris. Artworks by artists from North and South America, including Cornelius Krieghoff and Sanford Robinson Gifford, are featured.
The Escuela de Artes y Ofícios (School of Arts and Crafts) is founded in Bogotá, Colombia, later becoming a School of Fine Arts.
The Transcontinental Railroad is completed in the United States, connecting the West and the Pacific coast with the existing train system in the East and the Midwest regions of the country.
Bananas become a major cash crop in Costa Rica before spreading to other Central American countries. Soon they become critical to Central American economies, providing the inspiration for the English term for these countries, often used derogatorily: “Banana Republics.”
The Dominion of Canada links the pacific coast to the Eastern provinces in an attempt to deter annexation of British Columbia by the United States. Manitoba joins the Confederation in 1870 and British Columbia a year later, both becoming Canadian provinces.
Yellowstone becomes the first national park in the United States of America.
Ontario Society of Artists is founded.
Art Association of Montreal’s Art Gallery opens, becoming the first building in Canada designed to house artworks.
Bolivia and Peru fight the War of the Pacific with Chile. When the war comes to a close, Chile has extended its territory north to the Peruvian border, cutting off Bolivia from the coast and transforming it into a landlocked country.
First exhibition of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is held in Ottawa. The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts later becomes the National Gallery of Canada.
Construction begins on Canada’s first transcontinental railroad, linking Montreal and Vancouver and propelling the development of the Canadian West. The Canadian Pacific railroad is completed in 1885 and opened to passenger traffic in 1886.
Banff National Park is formed, becoming Canada’s first national park.
Slavery is officially abolished in Brazil.
The Brazilian monarchy is overthrown by a coalition of military leaders, Republican activists advocating for democracy, and wealthy landowners frustrated by the abolition of slavery. This disparate coalition leads to years of political turmoil and the eventual establishment of “café com leite” politics controlled by the coffee interests of Sao Paulo and the dairy interests of Minas Gerais.
The former Imperial Academy of Fine Arts is reopened in Rio de Janeiro as National School of Fine Arts.
The World’s Columbian Exposition is held in Chicago.
The Klondike Gold Rush (also called the Yukon Gold Rush) brings hundreds of thousands of prospectors to the Yukon, ultimately resulting in the Yukon Territory being given independent status.
Spanish-American War begins. By the end of the war, Spain relinquishes colonial control over Cuba and the United States takes sovereign control over Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
The Thousand Days’ War erupts in Colombia, a civil armed conflict between the country’s Conservative and Liberal parties. The war is also incited and propelled due to falling coffee prices in the international market, a drop that creates an economic crisis in Colombia.
Pan-American Exposition is held in Buffalo, New York, featuring paintings by artists including William Brymner, Maurice Cullen, George Inness, and more.
Brazil’s production of coffee reaches 65% of the world’s coffee supplies.
Panama separates from Colombia in part due to violence and economic crises caused by Colombia’s Thousand Days’ War. Panama’s secession leads to its incorporation as an independent nation and the creation of the Panama Canal.
The Talleres Libres (Free Workshops) in Buenos Aires are transformed into a national institution for artistic training. This first Fine Arts Academy will be later known as Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón (1940).
Canadian Art Club is created, with many members of the Royal Canadian Academy serving as inaugural members.
Mexican Revolution begins as an uprising against Porfirio Diaz, longtime Mexican president and autocrat, and evolves over time into a multi-sided civil war.
The future members of Canada’s Group of Seven artists meet for the first time.
The Panama Canal is opened.
World War I begins.
The National Park Service is established in the United States to oversee Yellowstone and the evolving network of national parks, including Yosemite.
The Constitution of Mexico, which formally dismantles the feudal hacienda system, is written and ratified by the Constitutional Congress of Mexico.
World War I ends.
Establishment of the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (National School of Fine Arts) in Lima, Peru.
Mexican Revolution ends.
The League of Nations is formed.
The Semana de Arte Moderna (Modern Art Week) is held in São Paulo, gathering artists, poets, and musicians who advocate for a renewal of Brazilian art. Among the participants are writers Mario de Andrade and Oswald de Andrade, painters Anita Malfatti and Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, and composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Artist Tarsila do Amaral, who is in Paris when the Week happened, will later join the group, becoming one of the central figures of so-called Brazilian Modernism.
The stock market crashes in the United States, sending the country into the deepest depression in its history and triggering a worldwide market collapse.
A revolt upends the café com leite politics in Brazil, undermining the concentration of power in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais and leading to a more centralized government.
World War II begins; Canada fights alongside Allied Forces.
The United States enters World War II, fighting alongside Allied Forces.
World War II ends with the Allied Forces’ victories over Germany and Japan.