Bouquet on Red Tablecloth 

William James Glackens created this oil on canvas painting, Bouquet on Red Tablecloth. Glackens was one of the founders of the Ashcan School, and this painting reflects a departure from the gritty urban scenes they are best known for. Still life paintings had a specific cultural value as luxury items, a cultural reference for the bourgeoisie. The choice of a bouquet in this instance is meaningful. Glackens’ loose brushstrokes and vibrant color palette nod to Impressionism, a movement that, by the early 20th century when this was made in the US, had become closely associated with bourgeois taste and the art market. Historians use archival material, like letters and exhibition reviews, to understand the market context and trace the painting’s provenance. Bouquet on Red Tablecloth provides insights into shifting cultural values and the complex relationship between artistic expression and the art market in America.