The model has long been essential to the work of the artist. They often serve as artists’ muses—mortals who can sometimes be almost otherworldly in their ability to inspire creativity—yet a talent for holding still is often more important than beauty. Models are too often given short shrift in art history, their names and stories left unknown unless their fame came by way of scandal.
From reminiscences of artists to tales of rambunctious animal models and children who posed for their parents, these letters, photographs, and objects from the Archives of American Art illuminate the stories of artists and their models.