Floor plan

Time and place19th-century United States

19th-century United States

The image displays a harbor filled with boats and ships. The perspective is slightly elevated, likely from a dock, with a partially visible boat and dock at the forefront. The horizon is in the upper third of the image, showing a distant cityscape with spires and structures. The brushwork is delicate, with fine, linear strokes typical of etching. The color palette is monochromatic, sepia tones creating a vintage and serene mood. The ships with tall masts populate the water, with reflections giving a sense of stillness. In the distance, faint impressions of buildings line the harbor, blending into the horizon.
The image shows an upper-body portrait of a man seated in a formal position. The man is depicted with a slight turn of his head, directly facing the viewer with a composed expression. He has short gray hair that is neatly styled. His facial features include a high forehead and firm jawline. He is dressed in a dark formal jacket with a high-collared white shirt visible at the neckline. His left hand rests on the arm of the chair, which is ornately carved with a scroll design. A fabric with an intricate pattern is draped over the back of the chair. There is no visible jewelry. In the background, there is a muted backdrop with a warm hue. On the left side of the image, a flowing drapery in a rich reddish tone adds depth to the setting.
Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), by Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890
Senator Thomas Hart Benton, by Matthew Harris Jouett, 1820s
Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New Jersey, by George Inness, ca. 1891
View of South Street, from Maiden Lane, New York City, by William James Bennett, ca. 1827
Pale watercolor drawing of young dancer in long sheer dress.
Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman stands close to us with a red schoolhouse in the distance under a sunset sky in this vertical painting. The woman’s body faces us, but she turns her head to look off to the left with light brown eyes. She has a short, straight nose, full pink lips, and a round face. Her blond hair is pulled up under a round white hat layered with ruffles, which lies like a pancake over the top of her head. Her white dress is vertically striped with thin rust-red lines and has a long-sleeved, tight-fitting bodice and a long skirt. A dark gray belt is cinched around her narrow waist, and she wears a black, lacy ruffle around her neck. The woman’s arms hang by her sides, and she holds two paperback-sized books in her left hand, to our right. An earth-brown lawn stretches back to the schoolhouse, which has crimson-red walls, a chimney, and a dark gray roof. Three forms painted with a few streaks of dark or light gray or topaz blue suggest people standing near the door of the schoolhouse. Trees and a grassy lawn beyond the building are loosely painted with blended strokes. The sky is shaded pale lemon yellow and light peach with touches of rose pink. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “HOMER 1873.”

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the United States in the 19th century.

Section 1, north wall

  1. The image displays a harbor filled with boats and ships. The perspective is slightly elevated, likely from a dock, with a partially visible boat and dock at the forefront. The horizon is in the upper third of the image, showing a distant cityscape with spires and structures. The brushwork is delicate, with fine, linear strokes typical of etching. The color palette is monochromatic, sepia tones creating a vintage and serene mood. The ships with tall masts populate the water, with reflections giving a sense of stillness. In the distance, faint impressions of buildings line the harbor, blending into the horizon.
    San GiorgioJames McNeill Whistler, 1880Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The image shows an upper-body portrait of a man seated in a formal position. The man is depicted with a slight turn of his head, directly facing the viewer with a composed expression. He has short gray hair that is neatly styled. His facial features include a high forehead and firm jawline. He is dressed in a dark formal jacket with a high-collared white shirt visible at the neckline. His left hand rests on the arm of the chair, which is ornately carved with a scroll design. A fabric with an intricate pattern is draped over the back of the chair. There is no visible jewelry. In the background, there is a muted backdrop with a warm hue. On the left side of the image, a flowing drapery in a rich reddish tone adds depth to the setting.
    Charles Carnan RidgelyThomas Sully, 1820Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), by Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890
    Untitled (Cracked Watermelon)Charles Ethan Porter, ca. 1890Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, by Matthew Harris Jouett, 1820s
    Senator Thomas Hart BentonMatthew Harris Jouett, 1820sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New Jersey, by George Inness, ca. 1891
    Spring Blossoms, Montclair, New JerseyGeorge Inness, ca. 1891Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. View of South Street, from Maiden Lane, New York City, by William James Bennett, ca. 1827
    View of South Street, from Maiden Lane, New York CityWilliam James Bennett, ca. 1827Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Pale watercolor drawing of young dancer in long sheer dress.
    Green and Blue: The DancerJames McNeill Whistler, c. 1893Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman stands close to us with a red schoolhouse in the distance under a sunset sky in this vertical painting. The woman’s body faces us, but she turns her head to look off to the left with light brown eyes. She has a short, straight nose, full pink lips, and a round face. Her blond hair is pulled up under a round white hat layered with ruffles, which lies like a pancake over the top of her head. Her white dress is vertically striped with thin rust-red lines and has a long-sleeved, tight-fitting bodice and a long skirt. A dark gray belt is cinched around her narrow waist, and she wears a black, lacy ruffle around her neck. The woman’s arms hang by her sides, and she holds two paperback-sized books in her left hand, to our right. An earth-brown lawn stretches back to the schoolhouse, which has crimson-red walls, a chimney, and a dark gray roof. Three forms painted with a few streaks of dark or light gray or topaz blue suggest people standing near the door of the schoolhouse. Trees and a grassy lawn beyond the building are loosely painted with blended strokes. The sky is shaded pale lemon yellow and light peach with touches of rose pink. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “HOMER 1873.”
    The Red School HouseWinslow Homer, 1873Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. OTTER CLIFFS
    Otter CliffsArnold William Brunner, 1879–80Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  2. VIGNETTE: MAN CROUCHING ON A SCAFFOLDING
    Vignette: Man Crouching on a ScaffoldingWalter Appleton Clark, 1899Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. VIEW OF VENICE, ITALY
    View of Venice, ItalyRobert Frederick Blum, 1880Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  4. The image shows a man depicted from the waist up, positioned slightly turned to the side yet facing the viewer directly. He has a composed expression with defined facial features, including a high forehead, strong eyebrows, prominent cheekbones, and a clean-shaven face. His hair is dark and curly, styled away from his forehead. He is dressed in a dark coat featuring a double-breasted design with gold buttons, complemented by a high-collared, white cravat intricately tied at his neck. In the background, there is a subtle, dark, greenish hue.
    Zachariah SchoonmakerJohn Vanderlyn, 1815/1818Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, north wall

  1. View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow, by Thomas Cole, 1836
    View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The OxbowThomas Cole, 1836Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Artist: Thomas Sully, Sitter: John Sergeant, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    John SergeantThomas Sully, 1811Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Section 3, north wall

  1. Autumn Oaks, by George Inness, ca. 1878
    Autumn OaksGeorge Inness, ca. 1878Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. The New Bonnet, by Francis William Edmonds, 1858
    The New BonnetFrancis William Edmonds, 1858Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art