Art History Lecture Series: American Art from The Revolution to 1850

This series explores the rise of American art history from the country’s founding into the early 19th century. Topics include landscape and genre painting, as well as the emerging generation of new artists who captured the spirit of young America and helped establish the nation’s developing cultural identity.

Key Details

• Four Thursday sessions: Sept. 4, 11, Oct. 2, and 9.
• Registration includes free admission to The Huntington on class days.

Day of Program

• Please bring registration confirmation with you.
• Check in with Education staff at Admission window #10 at 9:30 a.m.
• This class is held in Ahmanson Classroom, which is located on the west side of campus near the Children’s Garden.

For questions about this event, email Joy Yamahata or call 626-405-3457.

About the Instructor

Robert C. Ritchie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, and received his early education there and in Toronto, Canada, where his family migrated after World War II. His family continued to move west, and he finished high school in California. He went on to receive his A.B. from Occidental College and his Ph.D. in history from UCLA. His specialty is early American history, especially the 17th century, but he also has a strong interest in early modern England. In 1969, he became a member of the history department at the University of California, San Diego, where he went through the ranks to full professor. From 1986 to 1990, he joined the university’s administration, where he served as associate chancellor. He left UCSD in 1992 to become the W.M. Keck Foundation Director of Research at The Huntington. He retired from that position in 2011 and is now senior research associate at The Huntington.