"Painting and sculpture flourished in the United States during the nineteenth century, a period which saw the evolution of democracy and the transformation of the new nation into an industrialized, imperial power. This new introduction focuses on important themes such as portraiture, history painting, and the American West to reveal the social and cultural implications of nineteenth-century art.".

"Many well-known artists, including Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer, and lesser-known artists like Harriet Hosmer are closely examined, as is the art world of the time. In addition to discussing the free movement of American visual culture between 'high' and 'low', Barbara Groseclose interweaves nineteenth-century art criticism with current art history, to create a fascinating insight into the changing interpretations of American art of this period."--BOOK JACKET.