In its formative decades, America was home to a talented group of painters whose fame has been somewhat obscured by later artists. Shedding light on Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart, Washington Allston, Thomas Sully, Thomas Cole, and William Sidney Mount, this illustrated overview discusses their quest for the "secrets" of the Old Masters, and their evolving self-confidence as innovators. Delving into the artists' recipe books, letters, journals, and painting manuals, the text helps us better understand this pivotal time in American art.