Painting Nature in the American Gilded Age

Drawing from the Cantor’s permanent collection, this exhibition considers how nature was depicted by American artists from the 1880s to 1910, an era of unprecedented industrialization and urban development. 

Through landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, the exhibition highlights the importance of nature for artists and the public, both of whom increasingly were affected by machines, cities, and crowds.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.         

Image: William McGregor Paxton (U.S.A., 1869–1941), The Crystal, 1900. Oil on canvas. Gift of The Honorable Michael Huffington, 2015.29

Image: F. Tuchfarber Co., after William Michael Harnett (U.S.A., b. Ireland, 1848–1892), The Old Violin. Chromo lithograph printed on glass. Gift of Dr. Ralph and Marilyn Spiegl, 1974.277