From 1869 to 2014, the Corcoran Gallery of Art was one of the oldest art museums in the United States, reflecting the country’s move from the ashes of the Civil War into the 21st century. Artists like Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper all participated in the Corcoran Biennial art competition, and many more artists were featured in the museum’s collection, like Albert Bierstadt, Gilbert Stuart, George Bellows, Gordon Parks, and Alma Thomas. From birthing a new art movement to becoming a site of LGBTQ history, the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s history is American history.