Special Sub-Topic: Early American Art Click Here To Play: Early American Art

Who is considered the first great American landscape painter?

Thomas Cole. Thomas Cole (1801-1848) was born in England and immigrated to the United States in 1818. Many consider him to be America's first great landscape painter. He painted the Niagara Falls as well as many scenes from nature.

What was the name of the artist who was hired by "Harper's Magazine" to go to battles and paint Civil War scenes?

Winslow Homer. Winslow Homer (1836-1910) painted wilderness, the tropics, the sea, and the creatures of the world. During the Civil War, he was hired by "Harper's Magazine" to join the Union Army near the front and to send drawings to New York for publication.

One of the first artists to paint nature scenes from the New World, he settled at Roanoke, returned to England, and upon his return to Virginia discovered the settlement had mysteriously disappeared. What was his name?

John White. John White (c. 1550- c.1593) worked mainly in watercolor, painting some of the first images of the New World, including the Atlantic shoreline, regional flora and fauna, and native inhabitants.

The American Civil War was one of the first wars to be documented by photography. Which artist was famous for his graphic, although sometimes slightly staged, war photos?

Timothy O' Sullivan. Timothy O'Sullivan (1840-1882) is best known for his photographs from the Civil War. When photographing dead bodies on the battlefield, he arranged the bodies for artistic reasons. He later photographed exhibitions of the American West.

This man was born in Philadelphia, moved to London, and became the official historical painter for King George III. Who was he?

Benjamin West. Benjamin West (1738-1820) became the president of the Royal Academy in 1792. He was a mentor for several famous American artists, offering advice, financial aid, and lodging when they came to London.

His portrait of George Washington became the model for the head on the dollar bill. Who was this Early American portraitist?

Gilbert Stuart. Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) studied in London with Benjamin West. His portrait of Washington entitled "The Athenaeum Portrait", the model for the dollar bill, was his most famous.

Which of these American artists was a member of the French Impressionists?

Mary Cassatt. Edgar Degas invited Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) to join the French group of independent artists called the "Impressionists". She was famous for her images of women and children.

What was the name of the Nineteenth Century organization that commissioned paintings and then raffled them off to members?

American Art-Union. The American Art-Union, established in 1842, was considered the most important art patronage at the time. It closed down in 1852, when the New York Court declared the art raffles to be illegal lotteries.

What was the surname of one of the most famous families of artists in Early America?

Peale. Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) painted many portraits of George Washington. He named his artistic children after famous artists: Rembrandt (1778-1860) founded the Peale Museum in Baltimore in 1812, and Raphaelle (1778-1825) was a great still-life painter.

This is a style of Nineteenth Century American landscape painting characterized by glowing light and suspended time. What was its name?

Luminism. This term describing a style of Nineteenth Century landscape painting was not coined until 1950.