Through analysis of literature, art, and architecture within their cultural contexts, Wilmerding (American Art, Princeton University; and, Curator in the Departments of American Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) focuses on three turning points in American history: 1800, when America began to find its identity as a republic; 1850, a period of prosperity and growth; and 1900, a time of change and anxiety. He discusses great works of these three periods (including works by Thomas Jefferson, Charles Wilson Peale, George Caleb Bingham, Thomas Eakins, and Winslow Homer), finding common themes and complementary expressions in the images that writers and visual artists drew upon to convey the mood and vision of each distinctive era. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)