Gallery 24

Many of Fuller’s images of African Americans and gypsies feature the same exoticism found in this poetic image of a barefoot girl of ambiguous race, wearing fanciful jewelry and gently leading a calf. The son of a farmer, Fuller farmed for much of his own life, and his representations of rural girls, like those by his European contemporaries, have been interpreted as nostalgic yearnings for a simpler way of life that was being altered by modern technology.

Many of Fuller’s images of African Americans and gypsies feature the same exoticism found in this poetic image of a barefoot girl of ambiguous race, wearing fanciful jewelry and gently leading a calf. The son of a farmer, Fuller farmed for much of his own life, and his representations of rural girls, like those by his European contemporaries, have been interpreted as nostalgic yearnings for a simpler way of life that was being altered by modern technology.

In this brutal caricature of Whistler’s creditor, Frederick Richards Leyland is portrayed as a horrifying reptilian peacock. He sits atop a model of the White House, Whistler’s home and studio, where this picture was hung to greet the officials who would be arriving to officially inspect the property after he declared bankruptcy. The words on the sheet music include selective capitalization, calling out Leyland’s initials and identifying him as the model for the monster.

In this brutal caricature of Whistler’s creditor, Frederick Richards Leyland is portrayed as a horrifying reptilian peacock. He sits atop a model of the White House, Whistler’s home and studio, where this picture was hung to greet the officials who would be arriving to officially inspect the property after he declared bankruptcy. The words on the sheet music include selective capitalization, calling out Leyland’s initials and identifying him as the model for the monster.

In this portrait, Duveneck emphasized his sitter’s striking beauty. His interpretation of his model focuses attention on her dark eyes, glittering gold headpiece, opalescent pearl necklace, large hoop earrings, and Turkish vest. Her skin, carefully modeled in tones of tan and pink, radiates with realistic warmth. Duveneck gave this picture as a Christmas gift to his student and future wife Elizabeth Boott, who, in her own paintings, also often portrayed women in elaborate costumes from other cultures.

In this portrait, Duveneck emphasized his sitter’s striking beauty. His interpretation of his model focuses attention on her dark eyes, glittering gold headpiece, opalescent pearl necklace, large hoop earrings, and Turkish vest. Her skin, carefully modeled in tones of tan and pink, radiates with realistic warmth. Duveneck gave this picture as a Christmas gift to his student and future wife Elizabeth Boott, who, in her own paintings, also often portrayed women in elaborate costumes from other cultures.

Although Wiles depicted his wife, May, as the pianist in this painting, the title does not identify the women. The painting also doesn’t provide information about the specific composition they are playing. Instead, we as the viewers are asked to simply reflect on the act of making music, recalling James McNeill Whistler’s observation “as music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight.”

Although Wiles depicted his wife, May, as the pianist in this painting, the title does not identify the women. The painting also doesn’t provide information about the specific composition they are playing. Instead, we as the viewers are asked to simply reflect on the act of making music, recalling James McNeill Whistler’s observation “as music is the poetry of sound, so is painting the poetry of sight.”

Curran’s subject, the Cluny Museum in Paris, was a popular tourist attraction. Dedicated to the arts of the Middle Ages, the building and garden feature both Roman and Gothic ruins, elements of which appear in this painting. The two women depicted under the shade of a red parasol, perhaps reading guidebooks, are likely participants on the Grand Tour of Europe, a tradition that signaled status and sophistication for wealthy Americans of the period.

By the 1830s, the term “bohemian,” from the French word bohème, was widely used to describe young artistic and literary figures who rejected middle-class traditions and comforts, engaged in unconventional behavior, and wore very simple, artistic clothing, all in the pursuit of lives dedicated to the higher calling of art. Bunker’s subject—a solitary artist playing a Spanish-style guitar in a humble studio filled with art and books—epitomized romantic conceptions of such a lifestyle.