Ces textes furent tous rédigés dans le cadre de commandes. A la demande du critique F. Watson, E. Hopper compose en 1927 des articles consacrés à l'art américain et en particulier à J. Sloan et C. Burchfield. Le recueil contient également l'introduction à la publication du jury de la Corcoran Gallery of Art en 1951 dans lequel il s'exprime sur le jugement en matière de création contemporaine.
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. In both his urban and rural scenes, his spare and finely calculated renderings reflected his personal vision of modern American life.