WCMA

Williams College Museum of Art Presents
Model American Men
March 1—August 24, 2008
Press release

Model American Men explores representations of male role models and conceptions of masculinity in American culture from 1850 to 1950. Examining the environment that shaped manhood and masculinity from the Civil War to the end of World War II, Model American Men depicts the everyday man to the national hero. The exhibited works raise awareness about the cultural expectations and attitudes surrounding these American “models.”

George Wesley Bellows (American, 1882-1925)
Portrait of a Young Man, ca. 1906-09
oil on canvas
Museum purchase, Funds from the Bequest of Joseph Jeffrey Shedd, Class of 1925, Karl E. Weston Memorial Fund
Courtesy of the Williams College Museum of Art, (96.28)

Thomas Eakins (American, 1844-1916)
Portrait of John Neil Fort, 1898
oil on canvas
Bequest of Lawrence H. Bloedel, Class of 1923
Courtesy of the Williams College Museum of Art (77.9.115)

Samuel Joseph Brown (American, 1907-1994)
Boy in the White Suit, ca. 1940-41
watercolor on paper
Gift of the artist through the Pennsylvania W.P.A. Art Project
Courtesy of the Williams College Museum of Art (PA.10)