The Evolution of Taste in American Collecting

Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Acknowledgments ix

Making Sense of an Unusual Contribution to Art History 1

Notes 67

Kenneth Haltman

The Evolution of Taste in American Collecting 85

René Brimo

Preface 87

Introduction 89

Book 1:

Early Developments: From the Colonial Period to the

Philadelphia Centennial

Part 1: Colonial America

Looking Backward 96

Part 2: Science or Sentiment

[Historical Introduction, 1776–1840] 107

1 Encyclopedic Spirit 111

2 The Search for a National Style 121

Part 3: The Critical Era

[Historical Introduction, 1840–1876] 131

1 TheTaste for Anecdote and Realism 135

2 The Discovery of History 151

Book 2:

The Triumph of Quality: Major Collections from the Philadelphia Centennial to the Great War

[Historical Introduction, 1876–1919] 166

1 Eclecticism 171

2 The Notion of the “Old Master” 195

3 The Vogue for Archaeology and “Pre-History” 226

4 Staying in Touch with the Contemporary Scene 255

5 The Modern Art Museum 272

Conclusion 294

Notes 301

Bibliography 344

Index

“Brimo’s book is a remarkable, groundbreaking investigation of America’s evolving artistic tastes, a compendium of collectors—individual and institutional—and the cultural backdrops for their interests, an early history of museums in America, and a comprehensive overview of the literature of American art up to his time. Haltman’s translation makes this significant scholarly achievement more widely available and, thanks to his judicious editorial interventions, more reliable. His introduction brings to light—and to life—an intriguing personality.”

—Carol Troyen, caa.reviews