The mid-19th century to early 20th century ushered in an era of peak traditional artistic craftsmanship, building upon centuries of inherited and perfected techniques and further exasperated by the pressure and inspiration of social, technological, and philosophical change before the pre-war years. Industrialization made materials like oil paints, brushes, and canvases widely available and of a very high quality. Academic realism perfected representational art and academies all over the academic system codified these techniques to a high standard.

Museums, salons, and academies gave artists clear venues to develop and display their work, allowing wealthy patrons, both private and institutional, to support their art careers. National pride also encouraged meticulously rendered paintings of myth, history, and conquest. This era was also stylistically rich, from Romanticism to Realism, to the Pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolists. All were movements that emphasized representation and craftsmanship before abstraction disrupted  those values in the years post-WWI.

The Golden Age of Illustration (roughly 1880s-1920s) ran parallel to this era of painting and often shared the same artists and techniques. Artists like N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Normal Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, and Arthur Rackham elevated illustration to fine art. Advances in printing technology allowed illustrated books and magazines to flourish. Realism, drama, and narrative clarity were therefore paramount, which demanded a deep understanding of anatomy, composition, and light. This understanding was developed and refined over hundreds of years, built upon the work of artistic giants on whose shoulders these artists stood.