Playing It Straight

"Playing It Straight deftly examines the often subtle and always complex role of humor in the making, exhibition, and patronage of art. In addition to offering a much-needed lesson in the various forms of nineteenth-century humor, Greenhill looks beyond the surface of art to yield new insights and meanings regarding canonical artists and their chosen media. This book sheds light not only on the artists and artworks analyzed, but on the historical period as a whole.”—Peter John Brownlee, Associate Curator, Terra Foundation for American Art

Playing it Straight provides the first comprehensive analysis of visual humor in late nineteenth-century America. Greenhill's intensive research and brilliant, intricate analyses span several disciplines, tracing the evolution of American art's 'sense of humor' from one of conspicuous comic performance to an aesthetic of the deadpan. This prism of the 'deadpan' opens the field to whole new districts of understanding, providing stunning new readings of well-known works while also revealing the pivotal role that previously obscure projects played in American cultural history.”—Jennifer L. Roberts, Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University