Childe Hassam’s ‘Allies Day, May 1917’ (1917)

Childe Hassam’s 1917 painting commemorates the U.S. entering World War I, depicting New York City’s Fifth Avenue adorned with flags of the U.S., Great Britain, and France, symbolizing the Allies. Painted in a French Impressionist style, the scene radiates sunlight and color, overlooking a wide street lined with cream and tan buildings draped in flags. Bold brushstrokes render scarlet, white, and blue flags fluttering from horizontal flagstaffs, with glimpses of crowds below suggested by strokes of navy and violet. The celebratory mood contrasts with the grim realities of war. The painting is signed, “Childe Hassam May 17, 1917.”