← Fame through time1850
1850
Whose working lives fell in 1850. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in 1850, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Otto von Bismarck16 decades - 2
Ada Lovelace3 decades - 3
John Bosco16 decades - 4
John A. Macdonald16 decades - 5
Báb12 decades - 6
Elizabeth Cady Stanton15 decades - 7
Otto of Greece0 decades - 8
Anthony Trollope17 decades - 9
Karl Weierstrass8 decades - 10
George Meade13 decades - 11
Julia Margaret Cameron5 decades - 12
Adolph von Menzel10 decades - 13
Louis Jules Trochu0 decades - 14
Harriet Jacobs3 decades - 15
Ľudovít Štúr0 decades - 16
Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier4 decades - 17
Henry Halleck2 decades - 18
Ildefons Cerdà13 decades - 19
James Curtis Hepburn0 decades - 20
Eugène Labiche16 decades - 21
Thomas Couture15 decades - 22
Rafael Carreranot measured- - 23
Emanuel Geibel18 decades - 24
Seru Epenisa Cakobaunot measured- - 25
Johann Jakob Bachofen10 decades - 26
Constantin von Tischendorf0 decades - 27
Edward John Eyre1 decades - 28
Richard Henry Dana16 decades - 29
John McDouall Stuart0 decades - 30
Josip Juraj Strossmayer0 decades - 31
Rufus Wilmot Griswold0 decades - 32
Mehmed Emin Âli Paşanot measured- - 33
Lorenz von Stein15 decades - 34
Princess Elisabeth of Prussianot measured- - 35
Ii Naosuke0 decades - 36
Giuseppina Strepponi15 decades - 37
James Legge15 decades - 38
Catherine Dickensnot measured- - 39
Pierre Napoleon Bonapartenot measured- - 40
Henry Parkesnot measured- - 41
Theophan the Reclusenot measured- - 42
Pyotr Yershovnot measured- - 43
Crawford Williamson Long0 decades - 44
Andreas Achenbach13 decades - 45
Pavel Fedotov12 decades - 46
Charles Bernard Renouvier13 decades - 47
Howell Cobbnot measured- - 48
Georgios Averoff0 decades - 49
Mykhailo Verbytskyinot measured- - 50
Federico de Madrazo y Kuntznot measured- - 51
Johann Gottfried Piefkenot measured- - 52
Wilhelm Peters14 decades - 53
Aleksandr Baryatinskynot measured- - 54
Edward James Royenot measured- - 55
Alexander von Middendorff0 decades - 56
Henry Bartle Frerenot measured- - 57
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granvillenot measured- - 58
Louise Rasmussennot measured- - 59
William Wildenot measured- - 60
William Joseph Hardeenot measured- - 61
Ang Meynot measured- - 62
Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausennot measured- - 63
Marguerite Baysnot measured- - 64
Temistocle Soleranot measured- - 65
Henry Box Brownnot measured- - 66
Alexander Ramseynot measured- - 67
Daniel Bashiel Warner0 decades - 68
Robert Remak2 decades - 69
Hablot Knight Brownenot measured- - 70
Princess Therese of Nassaunot measured- - 71
Andrew Jackson Downingnot measured- - 72
James Seddonnot measured- - 73
Alexandros Koumoundouros0 decades - 74
James Bicheno Francisnot measured- - 75
Alphonse Beau de Rochasnot measured- - 76
Pyotr Valuyevnot measured- - 77
Warren De la Rue5 decades - 78
Edward Baker Lincolnnot measured- - 79
Robert Volkmannnot measured- - 80
John Mitchelnot measured- - 81
Pedro, Prince Imperial of Brazilnot measured- - 82
Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteauxnot measured- - 83
Emma Stebbinsnot measured- - 84
Gottfried Kinkelnot measured- - 85
Edward Forbesnot measured- - 86
Rosa Molas i Vallvenot measured- - 87
Lysius Salomonnot measured- - 88
Vicente Cerna Sandovalnot measured- - 89
Théodore Hersart de la Villemarquénot measured- - 90
Robert Franznot measured- - 91
Mariana Grajales Cuellonot measured- - 92
Clara Feynot measured- - 93
Prince Maurice of the Netherlandsnot measured- - 94
Arthur MacArthurnot measured- - 95
John Binghamnot measured- - 96
Eduard August von Regelnot measured- - 97
Francis Lubbocknot measured- - 98
Edward Clarknot measured- - 99
Cornelius Krieghoffnot measured- - 100
Karl von Blaasnot measured-
How to read these rankings
- People sit in their own time. Everyone is placed in the century their working life belongs to, and never in one that came after their death.
- Attention, not reputation. A place on these lists reflects the attention a person still draws in the public record, read across every language rather than one. It is not a judgement on the life.
- Fame in print. The curves show how often a name appeared in the books of each decade from 1800 to 2019, drawn from the Google Books Ngram corpus. Those decades are closed, so each curve is measured once and kept.
- Gaps are left as gaps. Where the record is too thin to be fair, or a name belongs to more than one notable person, we would rather show nothing than guess.