Man
1876â1877
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Henrietta Haller
Accession Number
1904-16-119
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
"Man" (1876–1877) is an early work by Robert Frederick, a prominent American artist born in Cincinnati in 1857. Created when Blum was just 19 or 20 years old, piece captures the nascent talent of a painter who would go on to gain fame for his genre scenes, portraits, intricate watercolor techniques influenced by both American realism and later Japanese aesthetics. Classified as a figure study, it likely explores the human form during a pivotal era in American art—the post-Civil War years, when artists began shifting from rigid academic traditions toward more naturalistic depictions of everyday...