The painter William Glackens (1870-1938) and his friends were among the liveliest and most influential American artists of the opening decades of the twentieth century. Their continued importance in the history of American art is explored in this informative collection of essays. Colin Bailey chronicles the beginnings of Albert C. Barnes' unparalleled collection of modern art, as well as Glackens' role in forming it, and Avis Berman investigates the friendship of John Sloan, Robert Henri and John Butler Yeats. Carol Troyen examines George Bellows' war paintings and Richard J. Wattenmaker probes the relationship between Glackens' paintings and sketchbooks. H. Barbara Weinberg documents how the leading American Impressionists and members of The Eight dealt with the pressures of economic survival. This profusely illustrated publication is an essential reference for curators, collectors and historians.