Paintings of American scenery were powerful visual narratives playing a crucial role in the construction of national and cultural identity during the 19th century. American poets and writers also participated in this romantic cult of nature. Senior art historian and Museum Director Emerita of the New-York Historical Society, Linda Ferber, will look at how their works inspired many artists, including Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, William Sonntag, and Robert S. Duncanson. FREE. Cash bar. Special exhibition open from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Museum gates open at 5:15 p.m. Reservations recommended: taftmuseum.org or (513) 684-4516.

Image: Sanford Robinson Gifford, Landscape with River (Scene in Northern New York), 1849, oil on canvas, 14 x 20 in. New-York Historical Society, Gift of DeWitt M. Lockman, 1953.51