Figures

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

**Figures** by Robert Frederick (1857–1903) is an intriguing early work from 1877, created when the American artist was just 20 old. Blum, a prominent figure in late 19th-century American, began his career studying in Boston and later gained acclaim for his genre scenes, portraits, and watercolors influenced by James McNeill Whistler. This piece, simply titled *Figures*, likely captures the human form in a preparatory or exploratory manner, reflecting the rigorous figure studies central to artistic training during the Gilded Age. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Col...