National Museum of American Illustration

Welcome to the virtual National Museum of American Illustration, where artworks from the ‘Golden Age of American Illustration’ and from other eras are presented in the ‘Gilded Age’ architectural frame of Vernon Court (1898). Visitors can appreciate our American Imagist Collection as a medley of beautiful pictures, but also as a historical overview of our unique culture. These works are our visual history, indeed they are American civilization illustrated. The original paintings and drawings in our Collection were specifically created for reproduction in books, periodicals, advertisements, and art prints. In the process, illustrators created iconic images, a mythology of our history, and a virtual catalog of bygone styles and days.