William Merritt Chase was an American painter who thrived during America’s Gilded Age.
He is best known for his portraits and landscapes in the impressionist “en plein air” (painted outdoors) style.
He captured the domestic comforts of his own family and the blissful lifestyle of some of the wealthy.
While working in the family business, Chase showed an early talent for art, studying under local, self-taught artists in Indianapolis, who urged him to further his studies at the National Academy in New York.
Declining family fortunes cut short his training and he left New York to join his family in St Louis—working to help support them, but continuing his art.
Catching the eye of wealthy St Louis art collectors, Chase was sent on an expense-paid trip to Europe in exchange for some of his paintings and help in procuring others for their collections.
As one of the finest centers for art training in Europe, Chase joined the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, where his figurative and impressionist loose brushwork began to shine.
Further travels in Italy rounded out his skills and he returned to the United States as one of a new wave of highly accomplished European-trained artists.
Seated, left to right: Edward Simmons, Willard L. Metcalf, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Robert Reid Standing, left to right: William Merritt Chase, Frank W. Benson, Edmund C. Tarbell, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Joseph DeCamp
American statesman Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin once said of Chase’s style,
A noble sense of color is perceptible in all his works, whether in the subtle elusive tints of flesh, or in the powerful rendering of a mass of color. In the painting of a portrait he endeavors, sometimes very successfully, to seize character
Whether relaxing in the country, strolling in the park, playing with children at the beach, boating on a summer afternoon or simply contemplating life, his paintings show us a slice of American life at a beautiful time. A time tinted with gold. A Gilded Age.
Mrs Chase Playing the Piano by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Going to see Grandma by William Merritt Chase, 1889
The Actress Linda Dietz Carlton by William Merritt Chase, c.1879
Afternoon by the Sea by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Sketch for the Portrait of Mother and Child) by William Merritt Chase, c.1915
Afternoon in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1887
Dorothy and Her Sister by William Merritt Chase, c.1900
Contemplation by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Connoisseur – The Studio Corner by William Merritt Chase, c.1883
Children Playing Parlor Croquet by William Merritt Chase, c.1888
Child with Prints by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
Chase Homestead, Shinnecock by William Merritt Chase, c.1893
Beach Scene – Morning at Canoe Place by William Merritt Chase, c.1896
In the Studio by William Merritt Chase, 1892
An Afternoon Stroll by William Merritt Chase, 1895
Landscape Shinnecock, Long Island by William Merritt Chase, 1896
Young Woman in Pink by William Merritt Chase , 1905
Portrait of Miss Dorothy Chase by William Merritt Chase, c.1913
Sunlight and Shadow in Prospect Park by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Alice Dieudonnee Chase, Shinnecock Hills by William Merritt Chase, c.1901
The Sisters (also known as The Sisters – Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Oskar LIvingston; The Sisters – Mrs. Oskar Livingston and Mrs. James Francis Sullivan) by William Merritt Chase, 1905
Prospect Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Susan Watkins by William Merritt Chase, 1914
Terrace at the Mall, Cantral Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Sunlight and Shadow by William Merritt Chase, 1884
Summertime by William Merritt Chase, 1886
The Song by William Merritt Chase, 1907
Woman with a Large Hat by William Merritt Chase, 1904
Woman in Kimono Holding a Japanese Fan by William Merritt Chase
William Launt Palmer by William Merritt Chase, 1887
Weary (also known as Who Rang) by William Merritt Chase, 1889
Wash Day – A Back Yard Reminiscence of Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase, 1886
Tompkins Park, Brooklyn by William Merritt Chase,1887
Dr Benjamin Taylor by William Merritt Chase, 1902
Child on a Garden Walk by William Merritt Chase, 1888
The Blue Kimono by William Merritt Chase, 1898
Bessie Potter by William Merritt Chase, 1895
Bank of a Lake in Central Park by William Merritt Chase, 1890
The Birthday Party by William Merritt Chase, 1902
August B. Loeb, Esq by William Merritt Chase, 1905
At the Shore by William Merritt Chase, 1886
At the Seaside by William Merritt Chase, 1892
A Long Island Lake by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
The Little Garden by William Merritt Chase, 1895
The Lake for Miniature Yachts by William Merritt Chase, 1890
Lady in White by William Merritt Chase
Lady in Pink by William Merritt Chase, 1883
Girl at a Bureau by William Merritt Chase
A Friendly Visit by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
Friendly Advice by William Merritt Chase, 1913
For the LIttle One (also known as Hall at Shinnecock) by William Merritt Chase, c.1895
The Fairy Tale (also known as A Summer Day) by William Merritt Chase, c.1892
End of the Season by William Merritt Chase, c.1884
An Early Stroll in the Park by William Merritt Chase, c.1890
Afternoon Shadows by William Merritt Chase, c. 1897
The Impressionist painter Frank Myers Boggs loved France.
He loved the quays and monuments along the Seine in Paris. He loved the old harbor and the pretty townhouses in Honfleur. He loved the marina, the fish market, the stepped streets, and the tranquil squares of Marseille.
Myers Boggs was one of several young American artists who crossed the stormy seas of the North Atlantic in the 19th century to live, breathe, and paint the “old world” that is France.
He used a somber tonal palette and restrained impressionist technique to capture marine, harbor, and street scenes.
If you love moody skies, if you love the way golden afternoon light falls on old stone buildings, if you love the pale light of misty mornings, the stillness of reflections and cities filled with spires, then you will love the work of Frank Myers Boggs.
Here are 30 Impressionist paintings to feed your soul today.
The Seine at Paris with the Pont du Carousel by Frank Myers Boggs – 1896Honfleur by Frank Myers BoggsPont St. Michel by Frank Myers BoggsMarket Day, Dreux by Frank Myers BoggsHonfleur, France by Frank Myers Boggs
Scene of a Street in front of the Church of Saint-Medard, Paris by Frank Myers BoggsThe Port of Marseille by Frank Myers BoggsThe Seine, Quay Henri IV, Paris by Frank Myers BoggsIn Port by Frank Myers BoggsGrand Opera House, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
French Harbor Scene by Frank Myers BoggsThe Church in Normandie by Frank Myers BoggsParis, the Porte Saint-Denis by Frank Myers Boggs – 1905The Harbor at Honfleur by Frank Myers BoggsView of Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1900
View of Notre Dame by Frank Myers Boggs – 1898The Pont Carousel, Paris by Frank Myers Boggs, 1889Armistice Day, Paris, 1918 by Frank BoggsOn the Quai, Dieppe by Frank Myers Boggs, 1880The Seine at Paris by Frank Myers Boggs
The Moulin Rouge and the Rue Lepic as Seen from the Place Blanche by Frank Myers BoggsThe Seine and Notre Dame by Frank Myers BoggsOur Lady of the Double Bridge by Frank Boggs, 1900Le Quai de Valmy by Frank Boggs, 1905Paris Street Scene by Frank Boggs, 1893
Paris, the Seine, Quai Notre Dame by Frank Myers BoggsCathedral in Paris by Frank Myers BoggsDieppe by Frank Myers Boggs – 1881Street Scene in Paris by Frank Myers Boggs – 1878Quai at the Seine in the Paris Moonlight by Frank Myers Boggs
German-born American artist Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902) was best known for his paintings of the American West.
A member of the mid 19th-century American art movement known as the Hudson River School, he focused on romantic landscapes.
Traveling westward with land surveyors and authors, he captured sketches to develop into large-scale paintings back at his New York studio.
In the 1860’s he became a member of the much-vaunted National Academy—an honorary association of American artists. He received medals as he traveled extensively in Europe and even had a private reception with Queen Victoria.
Demand for his work was so high that by 1865 his paintings were fetching $10,000 – $25,000 (worth approx $280,000 – $700,000 today)
When in 1872, his drawings of Yellowstone convinced Congress to pass the Yellowstone Park Bill, he was firmly established as the preeminent painter of the American West.
Bierstadt used light to glorify the romance of sweeping landscapes, depicting the untamed West as a land full of promise, of Manifest Destiny, and the American Dream.
Lake in the Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Looking Up the Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, 1867
Merced River, California by , (1830 – 1902)
Old Faithful by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
Oregon Trail by Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902)
Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Rocky Mountain Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
Sierra Nevada by Albert Bierstadt, 1873
Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rosalie by Albert Bierstadt – 1866
Sunset over the River by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 – 1902)
The Campfire by Albert Bierstadt , (1830 – 1902)
The Falls of St. Anthony by Albert Bierstadt c.1887
The Golden Gate by Albert Bierstadt, 1900
The Kern River Valley (Sequoia National Park, California) by Albert Bierstadt, 1871
The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak by Albert Bierstadt, 1863
Valley in Kings Canyon by Albert Bierstadt (1830 – 1902)
Valley of the Yosemite by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Western Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
Whyte’s Lake, Estes Park, Colorado by Albert Bierstadt, 1877
Yellowstone Falls by Albert Bierstadt, 1881
Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California by Albert Bierstadt, 1868
California Coast by Albert Bierstadt, (1830 – 1902)
California Spring by Albert Bierstadt, 1875
Cho-looke, the Yosemite Fall by Albert Bierstadt, 1864
Emigrants Crossing the Plains by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
At one time, especially between 1815 and 1915, the horse and buggy was the primary mode of short-distance transportation in America.
Horsemanship was largely confined to wealthy landowners, western pioneers, and the military.
But as long as there were rudimentary roadways, the low skill requirement of horse and buggy gave freedom of mobility to thousands more.
A horse and buggy circa 1910
Until Henry Ford made automobiles affordable for the working class, horse-drawn buggies were the most common means of getting around towns and surrounding countryside.
Edward Lamson Henry (1841 – 1919) was an American painter who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He moved to Paris at the age of 19 — a time of Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.
His great attention to detail and membership of the New York Historical Society won him admiration from contemporaries who viewed his work as authentic historical reconstructions.
Who better to show us American life in the time of the horse and buggy than Edward Lamson Henry. To enhance the atmosphere of these beautiful paintings, optionally play the music.
The Conversation by Edward Lamson Henry – 1882Testing His Age by Edward Lamson Henry – 1891
Carriage Ride by Edward Lamson Henry – 1886
Portrait of Mrs. Lydig and Her Daughter by Edward Lamson Henry – 1887-1891
Stopping for a Chat by Edward Lamson Henry – 1889
The Latest Village Scandal by Edward Lamson Henry – 1885
Horse and Buggy on Main Street by Edward Lamson Henry – 1889
A Moment of Peril by Edward Lamson Henry – 1890
A Summer Day by Edward Lamson Henry – 1890
Later Afternoon on the Old Delaware and Hudson Canal, at Port Ben, Ulster County, New York by Edward Lamson Henry – circa 1894
An Informal Call by Edward Lamson Henry – 1895
Waiting for the Ferry, Shelter Island, New York by Edward Lamson Henry – 1895
At the Watering Trough by Edward Lamson Henry – 1900
One Sunday Afternoon by Edward Lamson Henry – 1902
‘What’s the News’ by Edward Lamson Henry – 1909
Unexpected Visitors by Edward Lamson Henry – 1909
St. Mark’s in the Bowery in the Early Forties by Edward Lamson Henry – 1917
Coming Home by Edward Lamson Henry
Horse and Buggy by Edward Lamson Henry
The Village Street by Edward Lamson Henry
Station on the Morris and Essex Railroad by Edward Lamson Henry – 1864The Camden and Amboy Railroad with the Engine ‘Planet’ in 1834 by Edward Lamson Henry – 1904
Whether a quaint novelty ride around Central Park or a touch of Cinderella magic to a storybook wedding, we can still experience the joys of a horse and buggy ride today.
Bride in a white dress descends from an open horse-drawn carriage decorated with ribbons at a wedding in Minnesota. Credit Jonathunder
Central Park ‘Horse & Buggy’. Credit – David Ohmer, flickr.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), or “TR” as he’s affectionately called, was the 26th President of the United States and a leading force of the Progressive Era. He was also an author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer.
Although sickly as a child, suffering debilitating asthma, he regained health through a strenuous lifestyle. His high-spirited personality, broad range of interests, and “cowboy” persona made him world-famous.
Ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents, his face adorns Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.
Here are six of TR’s best-known quotes that helped make him an icon.
1. Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground
Dream big, but keep it grounded in reality. Roosevelt was a Republican Progressive with high ideals. Biographer H. W. Brands notes, “Even his friends occasionally wondered whether there wasn’t any custom or practice too minor for him to try to regulate, update or otherwise improve.”
But Roosevelt kept his feet firmly planted on the ground by making conservation a top priority. He established national parks, forests, and monuments in order to preserve the nation’s natural wonders.
He reached for the stars but never got too big for his boots.
Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir at Glacier Point in Yosemite, 1903.
2. Believe you can and you’re halfway there
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According to the Mayo Clinic, low self-esteem can be harmful to virtually all areas of our lives, including relationships, career, and health.
Teddy Roosevelt overcame severe asthma as a sickly child to become the very model of masculine health. His secret? Self-belief.
No matter how disadvantaged we may think we are, positive self-belief can transform our lives.
One look at the conviction in TRs eyes gives me goosebumps—that’s the look of self-belief.
3. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are
At the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898, the US Army was much smaller than it had been during the Civil War. President McKinley called upon volunteers to form a regiment initially called “Wood’s Weary Walkers” after commander Colonel Leonard Wood. Although they were supposed to be cavalry, they had to make do with fighting on foot.
Second in command was Theodore Roosevelt who later took charge and renamed his volunteers the “Rough Riders”.
In the Battle of San Juan of the Spanish–American War, the Rough Riders gained notoriety for doing what they could, with what they had, where they were.
On the day of the big fight I had to ask my men to do a deed that European military writers consider utterly impossible of performance, that is, to attack over open ground an unshaken infantry armed with the best modern repeating rifles behind a formidable system of entrenchments. The only way to get them to do it in the way it had to be done was to lead them myself.
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders celebrate victory. Battle of San Juan, Cuba.
4. Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care
This is quite possibly the most powerful of TRs quotes because of the breadth and depth of its implications.
Whether you’re leading a team or organization, a road-warrior salesperson, a customer service agent, a medical practitioner, a marketing executive … whatever you do in life, the same wisdom applies—nobody really cares what you say until they believe how much you care.
President and Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt seated on lawn, surrounded by their family, 1903
5. Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far
The exercise of intelligent forethought and of decisive action sufficiently far in advance of any likely crisis.
That’s how Roosevelt described his brand of foreign policy that became known as “Big Stick ideology”.
He used military muscle several times throughout his two terms with a more subtle touch to complement his diplomatic policies. But he also used Big Stick ideology in other contexts, with an emphasis on diplomacy.
In 1902, 140,000 miners went on strike, wanting higher pay, shorter work hours, and better housing.
The prospect of a coal shortage posed a serious threat to the fragile economy of the time. But instead of sending in the military as was the norm before Roosevelt, he hosted a meeting in the White House involving mining union representatives and mining company leaders.
When the miners voted to continue with the strike, Roosevelt used the military, not for force, but to run the mines in the “public interest”.
The mining companies realized they were losing profits, and so gave in to the miners’ demands.
Roosevelt could wield just as much power with a pen as he could with a sword.
The pen is mightier than the swordEdward Bulwer-Lytton
6. Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing
We spend most of our waking hours at work and our jobs can influence our lives beyond the workplace. The type of work we do is part of our identity and can reflect what’s important to us.
Research by Brent D. Rosso, PhD, showed that when people find meaning in their work, it increases motivation, engagement, empowerment, career development, job satisfaction, individual performance and personal fulfillment—and also decreases absenteeism and stress (Research in Organizational Behavior, 2010).
Suggestions for Further Reading
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