"Famous art treasures like Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware, Benjamin West's Penn's Treaty with the Indians, John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence, John Vanderlyn's Death of Jane McCrea, and Winslow Homer's Near Andersonville are not only glorious masterpieces of period painting, but also slices of American history. This unique art book surveys American historical painting from its origins in the colonial period through the birth of our nation, the Civil War, and the expansionist era, up to its eventual eclipse by modernism in the 1930s. In twelve chapters by renowned scholars, individual pieces are examined to show how public opinion, governmental patronage, and imaginative artistry combined to record events and shape how we interpret history. Also examines the contemporary ramifications of modern works, such as Judy Chicago's Dinner Party." --provided by Goodreads.