Barnes & Noble Digital Library

In this thoughtful collection of essays, published in 1893, James offers his critique on the art of illustration as he pens incisive profiles of several artists. The work is best known for James’s influential essay on John Singer Sargent, whose art work James found “astonishing,” and for his revealing essay on Honoré Daumier, which did much to elevate Daumier’s reputation as a serious artist.