Art of the United States: 1800 – 1900

While the European tradition loomed large for the artists of the new republic of the United States, the nineteenth century saw the development of styles of art that reflected the unique values of this brand-new country.

Elisha King Root for Samuel Colt, Experimental Pocket Pistol, Serial number 5, caliber .265 inches, barrel length 3 inches, overall length 7 inches, brass, steel, and iron, 1849-50 (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Bequest of Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt) — The gun that "won the West" also transformed American manufacturing and marketing.

Inventing America, Colt’s Experimental Pocket Pistol

Albert Bierstadt, Hetch Hetchy Valley, California, c. 1874-80, oil on canvas, 94.8 x 148.2 cm (Bequest of Laura M. Lyman, in memory of her husband Theodore Lyman, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art) — Captured here in paint, this grand Californian landscape would soon disappear under water.

Albert Bierstadt, Hetch Hetchy Valley, California

Anna Pottery, Snake Jug, c. 1865, stoneware with painted decoration, 31.75 x 21.11 x 22.07 cm (Minneapolis Institute of Art) — The makers of this ostentatious ceramic jug used images from popular satire to poke fun at the Civil War politics.

Anna Pottery, Snake jug

Writing desk, attributed to William Howard, c. 1870, yellow pine, tobacco box and cotton crate wood, 154.31 75.88 x 60.17 (Minneapolis Institute of Art) — This eclectic assortment of carved objects speaks to the experience of a formerly-enslaved man in the post-Civil War South.

William Howard (attributed), Writing desk

Two countries honor their love of democracy with a huge statue of a woman! Neither let women vote, though.

The light of democracy — examining the ...

Though at first glance this nude seems plucked from classical antiquity, it actually alludes to modern politics.

Hiram Powers, The Greek Slave

Ward, The Freedman — This remarkable work honors those who fought for their own freedom, but acknowledges that the struggle goes on.

John Quincy Adams Ward, The Freedman

Cole feared for the American landscape as his country expanded westward.

Thomas Cole, The Hunter’s Return

Remington, The Fall of the Cowboy — Remington mourns the decline of the cowboy by depicting the very thing that destroyed his iconic lifestyle.

The end of an era: Remington’s The ...

The creation of a beloved landmark destroyed a thriving community of African Americans and Irish immigrants.

Seneca Village: the lost history of African ...

William Sidney Mount, Bargaining for a Horse, 1835, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches (New York Historical Society) — Is there a political message behind this image of two farmers settling the price of a horse?

William Sidney Mount, Bargaining for a Horse

Newspaper (detail), Richard Caton Woodville, War News from Mexico, 1848, oil on canvas, 68.6 × 63.5 cm (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas) — Painted for a divided US, people from North and South could identify with this image—others remain marginalized.

Richard Caton Woodville, War News from Mexico

Francis Guy, Winter Scene in Brooklyn — This snowy image of a bygone Brooklyn is sprinkled with farm animals, townspeople... and casual racism.

Francis Guy, Winter Scene in Brooklyn

The artist eliminated a key element of this innovative painting five years after he finished it.

Winslow Homer, Northeaster

“Luminism” sounds like a subject at Hogwarts, but it actually describes landscape paintings like this one.

Fitz Henry Lane, Owl’s Head, Penobscot Bay, Maine

Thomas Cole, Expulsion from the Garden of Eden — Adam and Eve have just been evicted from Paradise, and the grass was definitely greener on the other side.

Thomas Cole, Expulsion from the Garden of Eden

Suspended above the sea, the drama of this rescue scene comes from nature, not man.

Winslow Homer, The Life Line

Washington Allston, Elijah in the Desert (detail) — Can we call a landscape painting “emo”? This brooding, melancholy canvas definitely tempts us to.

Washington Allston, Elijah in the Desert

Singer Sargent’s evocative canvas turns a sweet, ordinary scene into a symphony of shapes and colors.

John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

Homer, The Fog Warning (or Halibut Fishing) — Homer’s fisherman just wants to bring his halibut safely to his ship—but as usual, nature is ruining everything.

Winslow Homer, The Fog Warning (or Halibut ...