John Rogers created sculptures in New York for more than three decades in the latter half of the nineteenth century,and his unique blend of artistry and entrepreneurship was perfectly suited to the country's cultural and commercial capital. His works spread across the country, bringing with them a shared experience of the era's signal events and the possibility that a personal experience of fine art might be within almost anyone's reach. ...

President's Foreword

Director's Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Sculpture for a Mass Market Michael Leja

Looking at Rogers Groups Michael Clapper

Themes in Rogers' Work

Neoclassicism and the Artist's Ideal Kimberly Orcutt

John Rogers, the Civil War, and "the subtle question of the hour" Kirk Savage

John Rogers, Lilly Martin Spencer, and the Culture of Sentimentality Melissa Dabakis

Read, Look, Listen: Literary Motives in John Rogers' America Leo G. Mazow

Folio of Genre Groups

The Life of a Rogers Group

A Union of Art and Industry: How Rogers Groups Were Made Thayer Tolles

Selling the John Rogers Brand Kimberly Orcutt

John Rogers Takes His Place in the Parlor DavidJaffee

The Rise and Fall--and Rise--of John Rogers Kimberly Orcutt

John Rogers' Monochromes: A Conservation Studio's Practical Approach

Erin Toomey, Jessica Fracassini, and Leslie Ransick Gat

Chronology

Selected Bibliography

Index