ABOUT THE ARTIST

Adolphe Yvon (1817-1893) was a French artist known for painting celebratory scenes of the Napoleonic Wars. His dramatic works on the Crimean War were much admired by Napoleon III, who sat for a portrait by the artist. As a leading drawing teacher from 1863 to 1883 at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Yvon influenced a generation of European and American artists.

Yvon painted The Genius of America at the height of his artistic power and influence.