:Americans in Paris 1850-1910represents the profound French influence - both in style and subject - on American painters following the Civil War. While wealthy Americans collected French art, American artists traveled to France to study, either at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts or at one of the independent academies or studios. Paris proved immensely appealing as a locale in which artists were supported and valued, cultural life was rich, the surrounding countryside inspiring, and the cost of living relatively low. The landscapes and human figures favored by French painters offered a nostalgic appeal that American artists translated into a national vernacular.With beautiful colour plates of some of the most influential artists from America and France - among them, James McNeill Whistler, Kenyon Cox, Mary Cassatt, Camille Cordot, and Honoré Daumier - and informative essays describing biographical, historical, and stylistic influences, this volume brings to life a pivotal and creatively vibrant moment in art history.