American Visual Cultures analyses the role of painting, photography, film, television, advertising, journalism and other visual media in the historical development of the United States from the Civil War to the present day. It offers a chronology of major debates and developments in modern US history and traces the social, political and economic factors that have shaped the development of visual forms and practices across time.

Illustrated throughout, the book combines a wide range of critical approaches and is made up of new essays by internationally renowned scholars. A General...