The author surveys a cohort of painters who helped define American painting from roughly 1878 to 1915, offering critical portraits of individual careers and representative works. He traces developments in landscape and figure painting, assesses technical methods and aesthetic aims, and considers the interplay between European influence and native tendencies. Combining historical overview, close readings, and illustrations, he identifies common themes, stylistic continuities, and shared values that formed a recognizable tradition, and suggests how these artists’ collective efforts shaped practice and taste for later generations.