The American Impressionists rejected the traditional way in which the historical subject was in favor because of the idealized view of modern life and the salon. The exhibition is aimed at artists and the modern space to sell their works of art. Portraits of wealthy patrons often emphasized traditional gender roles, especially for women of those times. Several American artists studied under European academics in the capitals of Europe where they learned their methods and aesthetic ideals. When the artist Bellows painted the portrait of Waldo Peirce, Waldo Peirce was a cultured man famous for his paintings and throughout his artistic career as a painter and public figure. He was in World War I and drove ambulances, and then he died in Massachusetts at the age of 85. He has been through four marriages and is now alone. This portrait may be related and have similarities to Rembrandt van Rijin's Self-Portrait because it has a similar facial expression. This self-portrait has a cane in his left hand and the portrait of Waldo Peirce has a cane in his right hand. Therefore the eyes have a different perspective that tells a slight story of apprehension. They have similar brush strokes in the portraits as I look at them closer. Both portraits significantly transformed European politics, economics and culture during the First and Second World Wars. The "Great War" like the First World War has an impact and carries with it