This study takes an unusual approach to Nathaniel Hawthorne's work by exploring his knowledge and uses of the visual arts. The authors trace Hawthorne's encounters with art in his native New England, highlight his determined effort to acquire a taste for painting at the Manchester Exhibition in 1857, explore his responses to art as he traveled through France and Italy, and discuss his continuing interest in the visual arts once he returned to America. In contrast to those who maintain that Hawthorne had little feeling for and appreciation of the arts, the authors argue that Hawthorne...