Sinclair and Sargent

I just finished reading The Metropolis by Upton Sinclair. It is a withering account of New York's "high society" at the turn of the century. The opulence, depravity, and waste of the very richest of the rich is described and dismantled on every page of the novel. It is every bit as wrenching as The Jungle's portrayal of the opposite end of society. As I was reading, I kept seeing images of the lavishly well-off in portraits of John Singer Sargent . So I have put up a display in my computer lab of paired paintings from Picturing America that pose (beg) comparison and have mounted books nearby from our collection that provide insight, perspective, or further comparison.