Seeing America

Seeing America was created by Smarthistory with 16 leading museums and examines the long history of the United States, from before European settlers to the modern era.

All teaching guides

Guides to help your students explore works of art as primary documents (more coming soon).

All videos + essays

Firelei Báez, <em>Untitled (A Correct Chart of Hispaniola with the Windward Passage)</em>
Firelei Báez, Untitled (A Correct Chart of Hispaniola with the Windward Passage)

A partially obscured figure crouches over a historical map of Hispaniola in an act of anticolonial resistance.

Childe Hassam, <em>Allies Day, May 1917</em>
Childe Hassam, Allies Day, May 1917

Hassam's Impressionist painting provides a visual form of optimism on the very brink of America’s entry into the First World War.

Rembrandt Peale, <em>Rubens Peale with a Geranium</em>
Rembrandt Peale, Rubens Peale with a Geranium

An unusual double portrait: a botanist and his geranium.

The New York Obelisk, Cleopatra’s Needle
The New York Obelisk, Cleopatra’s Needle

Why is this ancient Egyptian obelisk in New York City?

Explore the diverse history of the United States through its art. Seeing America is funded by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.