William Rimmer (1816-1879) has long been considered an important figure in American art. He has been mentioned in all the major surveys of nineteenth-century American art, yet this is the first book devoted solely to him since 1946, when the last major exhibition of his work was held. Directed at an educated, popular audience, the book contains information on all of Rimmer's major work and presents many new findings about his life. In spite of the many developments in American rat research in the past four decades, RImmer has remained a particularly elusive figure - hard to know and harder still to categorize within the larger context of American art and style. This book reestablishes the details of Rimmer's career and reconsiders the quality of his artistry. -- from back cover.