A New Year's Nocturne, New York

Childe Hassam (1859–1935), a pioneer of American Impressionism and perhaps its most devoted, prolific, and successful practitioner, was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts (now part of Boston),   into a family descended from settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Equally adept at capturing the excitement of modern cities and the charms of country retreats, Hassam (properly pronounced HASS-am) became the foremost chronicler of New York City at the turn of the century. These days, he is perhaps best known for his depiction of a flag-draped Fifth Avenue during World War I. His finest works manifest his brilliant handling of color and light and reflect his credo (stated in 1892) that "the man who will go down to posterity is the man who paints his own time and the scenes of everyday life around him."