This painting shows a group of picnickers near Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont. In the mid-19th century, rapid industrialization began to replace the agrarian lifestyle that had historically defined American life. Rural sightseeing, mountain hikes, and pastoral picnics—or images of these activities—provided idealized encounters with nature for city dwellers seeking a respite from the toil and troubles of city life.

This is a depiction of the New England landscape near Durrie’s New Haven, Connecticut, home. The structure at right is a colonial-era saltbox house, characterized by a roof that is steeply pitched in the front but descends gradually toward the back. Durrie’s image documents the economic progress of the original settlers, who initially built the single-story home but later added the three-story hotel to capitalize on the needs of travelers and tourists.

The Peaceable Kingdom was inspired by the biblical text Isaiah 11:6–9: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” In the background, Hicks’s depiction of William Penn’s 1682 purchase agreement with the native Lenape people, which ensured the future of the Pennsylvania colony, served as a model of a peaceable kingdom on earth.

This picture was painted soon after Bingham was elected a congressman for Missouri. Here we see American democracy in action. Seated near a stove, a young politician attempts to enlist the support of an older rural farmer, while a businessman—perhaps a local political powerbroker—listens attentively. Bingham’s subject would have resonated with his fellow Missourians, who participated in the intense debates about slavery that dominated American politics prior to the Civil War.

John Brown was indicted for his attempt to start a slave rebellion on October 26, 1859. Placed on trial the next day, he was sentenced to death on November 2. Brown, who suffered a head wound while captured, is accurately depicted here being tried while lying on a stretcher; an open bible and a carpetbag filled with incriminating letters are shown beside him. The prosecutor holds Brown’s rifle in his hand, and the jury, composed of 12 nearly identical men, confront the viewer in their judgment.

This painting draws inspiration from 18th-century British “conversation pieces”—informal images of families engaged in everyday activities. James Brown, a partner in the Brown Brothers banking firm, is depicted with his wife, Eliza, and their grandson William in their New York City mansion. Embodying the traditional gender roles of the time, James holds a newspaper that connects him with the outside world, while Eliza knits, referencing the domestic life of the home.

Here, the legendary abolitionist and martyr John Brown descends the stairs of the jail in Charles Town, West Virginia. A noose hangs around his neck, and his arms are bound at his sides. Pausing on the stairs, Brown leans over the railing to kiss an African American baby held up by its mother, who is also the caregiver for the young girl who clings protectively to her skirt. Brown’s position on the stairs, surrounded by hostile captors, recalls historical depictions of Christ presented to the people.

Here, a policeman leads a group of suspects into a courtroom, where they are directed to join a man seated on a bench. The “Blood Tubs” (mentioned on the poster attached to the judge’s bench) were members of a Baltimore street gang that supported the American Party, which promoted anti-foreign and anti-Catholic prejudice and sought to restrict immigration. Blythe was a sympathizer, and his caricatures of the working poor may reflect the party’s anti-immigration views.

In the 19th century, major rivers served as interstate highways for steamboats carrying passengers and cargo. These vessels were refueled by “woodhawks,” men in small boats loaded with firewood. Bingham’s painting presents these boatmen as mediators between nature and civilization. His idealized depictions of boatmen as free laborers may have reflected his opposition to slavery and its extension into the western states.