This new volume accompanies and complements the publication of the major new 2-volume catalogue the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of American paintings by artists born before 1876. It provides a richly illustrated general survey of the Museum’s most significant paintings by American artists. Each painting is illustrated in colour, many with accompanying colour details and comparative images.

The selected works are arranged in four thematic sections: early American art, art of the 1830’s to 50’s, American painting in the Civil War Era, and painting of the late 19th and early 20th Century. Extended captions discuss the key features of each painting, information about the artist, and the wider artistic context of the work and the period in which it was produced. The volume features a Chronology, which focuses on wider key moments, movements and styles that developed in American art post-Independence. Special attention is also given to works by individual artists who heavily influenced the development of American painting, such as Copley, Cole and Eakins.