The New Britain Museum of American Art's collection is comprised of more than 11,791 paintings, works on paper, sculptures, photographs and illustrations by American artists, ranging in date from 1739 to today. With over 100 years of acquiring American works of art the collection encompasses almost every conceivable style and cultural influence, with particular strengths in colonial portraiture, the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and the Ash Can School, not to mention the important mural series The Arts of Life in America by Thomas Hart Benton. The singular focus on American art and its panoramic view of American artistic achievement make the Museum a significant teaching resource available to the local, regional, and national public.
To strengthen access to the Museum’s collection, the online information about artists and objects is drawn from the Museum's database. Among the important information provided for each artwork is the full "tombstone" data (artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, and inscriptions). A brief biography is provided for a selection of artists represented. Finally, an interpretive essay for selected artwork summarizes information found in the Museum's curatorial files on those objects.