List of history painters
This list shows painters of history painting sorted by century.
Years 1501 to 1600
- François Dubois (1529–1584), French history painter
- Cornelis Ketel (1548–1616), Dutch portrait, allegory and history painter of late Mannerism
- Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), French history and landscape painter of the classicist Baroque
Years 1601 to 1700
- Domenico Gargiulo (1609/10 - around 1675), Italian landscape and history painter of the Baroque
- Eustache Lesueur (1616–1655), French history painter of the classicist Baroque
- Charles Le Brun (1619–1690), French history, portrait and decoration painter of the classicist Baroque, court painter to Louis XIV.
- Nicolas de Largillière (1656–1746), French history, portrait, genre, still life and landscape painter of the Baroque era
- Antoine Coypel (1661–1722), French history painter and decorator of the classicist Baroque
- Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700–1777), French history, portrait and genre painter, director of the Académie de France à Rome
Years 1701 to 1800
- Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (1714–1789), French painter of various genres
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792), English portrait and history painter
- Benjamin West (1738–1820), American history and decorative painter
- Joseph-Benoît Suvée (1743–1807), Flemish (?) History painter, director of the Académie de France à Rome
- Jean Simon Berthélemy (1745–1811), French history painter
- François-André Vincent (1746–1816), French history painter, one of the main exponents of classicism
- Jacques Louis David (1748–1825), French classicist history and portrait painter
- Jean-Baptiste Regnault , French classicism history painter
- Nicolas-André Monsiau (1754–1837), French history and portrait painter, draftsman and illustrator
- Robert Lefèvre (1755–1830), French portrait and history painter, court painter
- Johann Ferdinand Jansen (1758–1834), German painter and local poet
- Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe (1761–1824), French brigadier general, cartographer and battle painter
- Germain-Jean Drouais (1763–1788), French history painter of classicism
- Charles Meynier (1763–1832), French classicist history painter
- Josef Abel (1764–1818), Austrian painter
- Charles Thévenin (1764–1838), French classicist history painter
- Anne Louis Girodet-Trioson (1767–1824), French history painter of classicism and pre-romanticism
- Alexander Macco (1767–1849), German romantic history and portrait painter
- Jean-Baptiste Paytavin (1767–1855), French history painter
- Marie-Guillemine Benoist (1768–1826), French history and genre painter
- Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768–1848), French history painter of classicism and romanticism
- François Gérard (1770–1837), French history and portrait painter of classicism
- Paul Duqueylar (1771-1845), French history painter of classicism
- Pierre-Narcisse Guérin (1774–1833), French classicist history and portrait painter
- Jean-Pierre Franque (1774–1860), French history, battle and portrait painter of classicism
- René Théodore Berthon (1776–1859), French history and portrait painter
- Pierre Bouillon (1776–1831), French history painter and engraver
- Jérome-Martin Langlois (1779–1838), French history and portrait painter of classicism
- Jean-Pierre Granger (1779–1840), French classicist history and portrait painter
- Washington Allston (1779–1843), American history, landscape and portrait painter, poet and author
- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), French history, portrait and nude painter of classicism
- Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853), French history painter
- Georges Rouget (1781–1869), French classicist history painter
- Pierre Claude François Delorme (1783-1859), French history painter
- François-Édouard Picot (1786–1868), French history, portrait and genre painter of classicism
- François-Joseph Navez (1787–1869), Walloon history and portrait painter, director of the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts (Brussels)
- Nicolas Gosse (1787–1878), French history painter
- Michel-Martin Drolling (1789–1851), French history and portrait painter of classicism
- Horace Vernet (1789–1863), French history painter
- Léon Cogniet (1794–1880), French history and portrait painter and lithographer
- Ary Scheffer (1795–1858), French history and portrait painter, one of the main French representatives of Romanticism
- Paul Delaroche (1797–1856), French history painter of academic realism
- Charles-Philippe Larivière (1798–1876), French history painter
- Eugène Louis Lami (1800–1890), French history painter, decorator, lithographer, book illustrator and watercolorist
Years 1801 to 1900
- Ludwig Schleiden (1802–1862), German portrait and history painter
- Eloi Firmin Féron (1802–1876), French history painter, sponsored by King Louis Philipp
- Heinrich Schwemminger (1803–1884), Austrian history painter
- Adam Eberle (1804–1832), history painter and lithographer, pupil and assistant to Peter von Cornelius
- Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1804–1878), German history painter
- Eugène Devéria (1805–1865), French history painter of academic realism and romanticism
- Augustin Palme (1808-1897)
- Josef Holzmaier (1809-1859), German history painter
- Vilhelm Marstrand (1810–1873), Danish history painter
- August Adolf Chauvin (1810–1884), Belgian history and genre painter, director of the Liège Academy of Art
- Eduard Frederich (1811–1864), German history painter and newspaper publisher
- Louis Martinet (1814–1895), French history painter, gallery owner and theater director
- Thomas Couture (1815–1879), French history and portrait painter of academic realism
- Friedrich Kaiser (1815–1889), German history and battle painter and lithographer
- Adolph von Menzel (1815–1905), German history painter and professor at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin
- Alfred Rethel (1816–1859), German history painter of the late Romantic period
- Adolphe Yvon (1817-1893), French battle painter
- Theodor Maassen (1817–1886), German history and genre painter from the Düsseldorf School
- Otto Heinrich Mengelberg (1817–1890), German history and portrait painter and lithographer
- Jean-Adolphe Beaucé (1818–1875), French history painter and book illustrator
- Théodore Chassériau (1819–1856), French history and portrait painter
- Clemens Bewer (1820–1884), German history and portrait painter
- Karl Becker (1820–1900), German history painter
- Évariste Vital Luminais (1821–1896), French history and genre painter of academic salon painting
- Felix Joseph Barrias (1822–1907)
- Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889), French history and portrait painter, one of the main exponents of academic salon painting
- Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), French history painter with, among other things, oriental motifs, one of the main representatives of academic salon painting
- Karl Wohnlich (1824–1885), German history, genre and portrait painter
- Karl von Piloty (1826–1886), German history and genre painter of academic realism
- Julius Frank (1826–1908), German history painter
- Eduard Schwoiser (1826–1902), German history painter
- Wilhelm Hauschild (1827–1887), German history painter
- François Sodar (1827–1899), Walloon history and portrait painter and drawing teacher
- Emil Hünten (1827–1902), German history painter from the Düsseldorf School
- Anselm Feuerbach (1829–1880), German portrait and history painter
- Frederic Leighton (1830-1896), British history painter
- Theodor Aman (1831-1891), Romanian painter
- Ernst Stückelberg (1831–1903), Swiss history painter
- Amos Cassioli (1832–1891), Italian portrait and history painter
- Josef Zenker (1832–1907), German painter
- Julius Naue (1833–1907), German painter, draftsman, etcher and archaeologist
- Carl Lossow (1835–1861), German history painter
- Stanislaus von Chlebowski (Polish Stanisław Chlebowski; 1835–1884), Polish history painter
- Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912), Dutch history painter of neoclassicism
- Louis Braun (1836–1916), German history painter
- Hieronymus Richter (1837–1899), German history painter
- Jean-Paul Laurens (1838–1921), French history painter and sculptor of academic realism
- Heinrich Ludwig Philippi (1838–1874), German history painter
- Christian Griepenkerl (1839–1916), German-Austrian painter and professor for history painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.
- Edwin Forbes (1839–1895), American history, landscape, and animal painter
- Jan Matejko (1839-1893), Polish history painter
- Gabriel Cornelius Ritter von Max (1840–1915), until 1900 Gabriel Cornelius Max, professor of history painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich
- Hans Makart (1840–1884), Austrian painter and decorator, art professor at the Vienna Academy
- Anton von Werner (1843–1915), German history painter, court painter and director of the National Gallery
- Gyula Benczúr (1844–1920), Hungarian painter
- Fernand Cormon (1845–1924), French history and portrait painter of academic realism, salon painter
- Luc-Olivier Merson (1846–1920), French history painter of academic realism
- Jean Baptiste Édouard Detaille (1848–1912), French battle painter
- Wassili Iwanowitsch Surikow (1848–1916), Russian history painter of realism
- Wilhelm Räuber (1849–1926), German history painter
- Václav Brožík (1851–1901), Czech history painter
- Hans Werner Schmidt (1859–1950), German history painter
- Arthur Kampf (1864–1950), German history painter
- Ernst Dorn (1889–1927), German landscape and history painter