From the silver used to make colonial sugar bowls to the steel used in submarines—how work, exchange, and technology have shaped the United States.
Dr. Bryan Zygmont
From the humble taproom to national television, political parties have vied for power since the 18th century.
Politics and power
In addition to being an politician, Jefferson was an ardent supporter and practitioner of classical architecture.
An architect of the Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson’s ...
Presidential portraits of George Washington were Stuart’s bread and butter when he returned to his native America.
Picturing George Washington, the Lansdowne Portrait
West turned the conventions of history painting on their head by choosing a contemporary subject and dress.
The French and Indian War, The Death ...
Not content to merely paint the land, Cole elevated the landscape to approach the status of historical painting.
Settling the American Eden, The Oxbow
Though at first glance this nude seems plucked from classical antiquity, it actually alludes to modern politics.
Unveiling 19th-century American values in The Greek ...
Well known in his own day as a silversmith, Revere is shown in casual attire, with a teapot brimming with meaning.
A portrait and a poem: the making ...
Forget what you think you know about Puritan fashion and get ready to Freake.
Were they Freakes? The quiet ostentation of ...
Johnson’s moving painting of a family fleeing slavery places the courage of African-Americans center stage.
The Civil War: putting liberty front and ...
This gigantic canvas is one of the most famous in the history of American art, but it wasn’t made in the USA.
Washington Crossing the Delaware, An American icon ...
Lack of an American sculptural tradition compelled Jefferson to look to France for this portrait of Washington.
Sculpting an American hero: Jean-Antoine Houdon’s George ...
Trumbull traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard to paint the members of the Continental Congress from life.
Painting the story of the Declaration of ...
The phrase "We the People" may be only three words, but it is a complicated and ever-shifting expression.
National identity
Though at first glance this nude seems plucked from classical antiquity, it actually alludes to modern politics.
Hiram Powers, The Greek Slave
Bare-breasted with a bayonet? Liberty leads a revolution that won’t be televised but will be seen in the Paris Salon.
A-Level: Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
Lack of an American sculptural tradition compelled Jefferson to look to France for this portrait of Washington.
A-Level: Jean-Antoine Houdon, George Washington
With its animation and naturalism, this canvas launched Rembrandt’s career as a portrait painter.
A-Level: Rembrandt, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. ...
Does a portrait need to be an accurate visual representation of the subject?
Marsden Hartley, Portrait of a German Officer
Jefferson’s “academical village” for living and learning is crowned by a building inspired by the Pantheon.