年代分期
鍍金時代與一次世界大戰 Gilded Age and World War I (1890–1918)
「工業化社會有閒階級應運而生。」
— 范伯倫，有閒階級理論，一八九九年
“The leisure class lives by the industrial community.”
— Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class,1899
十九世紀二十世紀初，美國再次面臨轉型，煤鋼為脊、鐵路為骨，從一個農業聯邦演變為工業大國。工廠大量製造的商品中產階級皆可負擔，享受著社會的進步與高水準的生活。這個曾因奴隸而分裂、歷經內戰試煉的國家，以國際強權之姿，即將在一次世界大戰中發揮全球性的影響力。
The United States transformed itself again in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A rural, agricultural nation became an industrial power whose backbone was steel and coal, railroads, and steam power. The goods made by the factories were affordable to middle-class Americans, who were proud of the country’s development and appreciated the rise in their standard of living. A nation divided by the issue of slavery and tested by the trauma of civil war became a world power whose global infoluence was first felt in World War I.
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11a. 奮力一划（BIGLIN IN A SINGLE SCULL）by THOMAS EAKINS, 1873
水彩‧黃白色網紋紙，49.2 x 63.2 公分。攝影 © 1994大都會博物館。
Watercolor on off-white wove paper; 19 5/16 x 24 7/8 in. (49.2 x 63.2 cm). Photograph © 1994 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.繪畫要像攝影般捕捉瞬間的景物非常困難。水彩畫尤難，因為一旦畫了就不能修改。此作品描繪划船明星比格林在終點線前奮力一搏的剎那。
Unlike oil paint, watercolor does not allow for error. John Biglin was a superstar athlete of the time, and the depiction of the rower in excellent racing form, at the precise moment before dipping the oars, reveals his dedication and strength in competition.
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11b. 藍色與金色的和諧：孔雀廳（THE PEACOCK ROOM）by JAMES WHISTLER, 1876
油畫顏料/金箔‧畫布、皮革、木頭。空間大小：425.8 x 1010.9 x 608.3 公分。弗利爾藝廊，史密森尼博物館，華盛頓特區，查爾斯朗弗利爾致贈。
Oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, and wood, room dimensions: height 13 ft. 11 5/8 in., width 33 ft. 2 in., depth 19 ft. 9 1/2 in. (425.8 x 1010.9 x 608.3 cm.). Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C, Gift of Charles Lang Freer.受倫敦富商之託設計以展示中國瓷器收藏的用餐間。儘管最後因造價高昂形成齟齬，雀屏廳依然是充滿異國情調的藝術瑰寶。
Commissioned by a wealthy Londoner to create a dining room suitable to display a strong Chinese porcelain collection. Although the project generated quarrels over looks and price, today it stands as a unique testament to the power of beauty and art from several cultures.
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12a. 一個男孩的肖像（PORTRAIT OF A BOY）by JOHN SARGENT, 1890
油彩‧畫布，142.56 x 100.33公分。攝影 © 2007卡內基藝術博物館，匹茲堡。
Oil on canvas, 56 1/8 x 39 1/2 in. Photograph © 2007 Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.以寫實手法描繪出男孩的不耐。
The artist captures the impatience of the boy naturalistically, not sentimentally.
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12b. 協約日，1917年5月（ALLIES DAY, MAY 1917）by CHILDE HASSAM, 1917
油彩‧畫布，92.7 x 76.8公分。艾賽琳麥金尼為紀念哥哥葛蘭福特麥金尼而致贈。影像 © 信託委員會，國家藝廊，華盛頓特區。
Oil on canvas, 36 1/2 x 30 1/4 in. (92.7 x 76.8 cm.). Gift of Ethelyn McKinney in memory of her brother, Glenn Ford McKinney. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.紐約第五大道上盟軍旗幟飄揚，象徵美國的富裕承平與道德勇氣。
The painting portrays the moral and financial supremacy of the U.S.
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14a. 划船（THE BOATING PARTY）by MARY CASSATT, 1893
油彩‧畫布，90 x 117.3公分。柴斯特戴爾收藏系列，影像 © 2006信託委員會，國家藝廊，華盛頓特區。
Oil on canvas, 35 7/16 x 46 1/8 in. (90 x 117.3 cm.). Chester Dale Collection. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.卡薩特的很多作品都令人聯想到文藝復興時代的聖母與聖子。圖中的母親坐鎮船頭，君臨天下，懷抱裡的孩子被大圓帽籠罩，宛如一圈神聖的光環，而男人弓著身划船的模樣，彷彿正在朝拜著他們倆。
Cassatt’s many paintings recall the Renaissance theme of the Madonna and Child. Here, the woman enthroned in the prow, the child’s sun hat encircles its head like a halo, and the man bows like a supplicant.
