Allegory of America
mid-19th century
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 3/8 x 13 1/16 in. (16.2 x 33.1cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde, 1959
Accession Number
59.208.97
Tags
Art Historical Context
Eugène Devéria's *Allegory of America*, a delicate graphite drawing from the mid-19th century, captivatingly personifies the New World through symbolic figures. Rendered on a modest sheet measuring 6 3/8 x 13 1/16 inches, the work likely features maternal and youthful motifs—mothers with boys, girls, and infants—as suggested by its tags, evoking themes of fertility, growth, and promise. Devéria, a prominent French Romantic artist known for his elegant portraits and historical scenes, infused his drawings with a lyrical grace, blending neoclassical precision with emotional depth. Created durin...