"Once you see what Swarts shows here, you'll see an entirely new early Zionist culture. You'll wonder why you never thought to ask the questions this book so deftly and convincingly answers." -- Maya Balakirsky Katz, Bar-Ilan University Department of Jewish Art, Israel and editor Images: A Journal of Jewish Art and Visual Culture " Gender, Orientalism and the Jewish Nation: At the German Fin de Siècle widens our understanding of how artists at this period, in particular Ephraim Moses Lilien, used extensively portrayals of women to further the national goal of Zionism. By looking astutely at these images and seeing them within the social and historical context, Lynne M. Swarts has made a major contribution to the way gender and orientalism figured prominently in the building of a national idea. Her work, elegantly produced, deserves special recognition as she breaks new ground in thinking about the interrelationship between visual culture and historical phenomena." -- Richard I. Cohen, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, author of Jewish Icons.

Art and Society in Modern Europe "A sound and informative analysis of a rich subject. Although it has a strong academic basis, the book is approachable, with many specialist historical aspects outlined. The many illustrations give us a view of Lilien's art and related images." -- Alexander Adams Art Blog.