American Paintings of the Eighteenth Century (National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogues)

The energy and optimism of the new nation are apparent in this catalogue, which features John Singleton Copley's The Copley Family and Gilbert Stuart's portraits of the first five presidents. Previously unpublished documents and infrared reflectograms shed new light on Benjamin West's Colonel Guy Johnson and Karonghyontye (Captain David Hill), Copley's Watson and the Shark, and Edward Savage's Washington Family.