Floor plan

Style galleriesThe American Gilded Age

The American Gilded Age

Capri, by William Stanley Haseltine, 1869
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
The Gulf Stream, by Winslow Homer, 1899; reworked by 1906
Twigs of a magnolia tree with light green, glossy leaves and three cream-white blossoms lie on a sapphire-blue cloth in this horizontal still life painting. Brightly lit from our left, the blossoms and leaves nearly fill the composition, and the cut ends lie on the fabric to our right. The blue fabric cascades from the upper left and across the table or ledge. The three flowers are in various stages of bloom. The tightest bud is to our left, overlapped by a stem and the tender, unfurling leaves of a branch. The blossom next to it, at the center, is starting to open. The petals of the third blossom, to our right, splay open around the flower’s oval-shaped stamen. Light glints off the waxy leaves surrounding the flowers. The tawny-brown underside of one leaf is visible where it turns over, near the cut ends of the branches. Light shimmering on the fabric darkens from bright blue to our right, to deep royal blue in the shadows to the upper left, suggesting the fabric is velvet. The background is streaked with tan and pine green behind the fabric, and becomes nearly black in the shadows of the upper right corner and along the bottom edge. The artist signed the lower right corner, "MJ. Heade."
ITALIAN GIRL
The Stubble Field, by Henry Golden Dearth, c. 1909

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Painting and design in the United States from the Civil War to 1910.

First room, north wall

  1. Capri, by William Stanley Haseltine, 1869
    CapriWilliam Stanley Haseltine, 1869Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. James Abbott McNeill Whistler
    Girl in Black (Pouting Tom)James McNeill Whistler, (1896-1901)Courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution
  3. The Gulf Stream, by Winslow Homer, 1899; reworked by 1906
    The Gulf StreamWinslow Homer, 1899; reworked by 1906Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

First room, south wall

  1. Twigs of a magnolia tree with light green, glossy leaves and three cream-white blossoms lie on a sapphire-blue cloth in this horizontal still life painting. Brightly lit from our left, the blossoms and leaves nearly fill the composition, and the cut ends lie on the fabric to our right. The blue fabric cascades from the upper left and across the table or ledge. The three flowers are in various stages of bloom. The tightest bud is to our left, overlapped by a stem and the tender, unfurling leaves of a branch. The blossom next to it, at the center, is starting to open. The petals of the third blossom, to our right, splay open around the flower’s oval-shaped stamen. Light glints off the waxy leaves surrounding the flowers. The tawny-brown underside of one leaf is visible where it turns over, near the cut ends of the branches. Light shimmering on the fabric darkens from bright blue to our right, to deep royal blue in the shadows to the upper left, suggesting the fabric is velvet. The background is streaked with tan and pine green behind the fabric, and becomes nearly black in the shadows of the upper right corner and along the bottom edge. The artist signed the lower right corner, "MJ. Heade."
    Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet ClothMartin Johnson Heade, c. 1890Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. ITALIAN GIRL
    Italian girlElihu Vedder, ca. 1885Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. The Stubble Field, by Henry Golden Dearth, c. 1909
    The Stubble FieldHenry Golden Dearth, c. 1909Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. We Both Must Fade (Mrs. Fithian), by Lilly Martin Spencer, 1869
    We Both Must Fade (Mrs. Fithian)Lilly Martin Spencer, 1869Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. FIGURES
    FiguresRobert Frederick Blum, 1881Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  3. The Old Road to the Sea, by William Merritt Chase, c. 1893
    The Old Road to the SeaWilliam Merritt Chase, c. 1893Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. BUTTRESSES ON CITY WALLS; LOCHES
    Buttresses on City Walls; LochesArnold William Brunner, 1883Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  2. The painting depicts a rural landscape at sunset or sunrise. The horizon is slightly above the center, showing distant pale-pink and purple mountains against the sky. Closest to us is an area with dark green bushes and vegetation, leading to a lighter green field surrounded by green-and-brown trees. The palette is warm and earthy, with greens and browns in the bottom transitioning to purples and pinks in the distance. The sky is a pale-yellow color that fades into light blue towards the top left corner, and faint yellow and gray clouds drift across it.
    Peaceful ValleyAlexander Helwig Wyant, c. 1872Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. Boy with Anchor, by Winslow Homer, 1873
    Boy with AnchorWinslow Homer, 1873Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  4. William Merritt Chase
    Good FriendsWilliam Merritt Chase, (c. 1909)Courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution

Third room, north wall

  1. This painting shows a person seated on a stool or chair, wearing a long, dark-blue robe or gown. They are slightly turned toward the right, looking downward at something they hold in their hands, and their head is covered with a cloth or cap. The background is textured with earthy tones, mostly tan with some patches of yellow ochre and gray.
    The ChaperoneThomas Eakins, c. 1908Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Stag at Sharkey's, by George Bellows, 1909
    Stag at Sharkey'sGeorge Bellows, 1909Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Leaping Trout, by Winslow Homer, 1889
    Leaping TroutWinslow Homer, 1889Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art