This monograph is the first scholarly study of John Ferguson Weir (1841-1926). Weir has been long overshadowed by his father, Robert Walter Weir (1803-89), and his Impressionist brother, Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919). This volume definitively restores John's reputation. Two major contributions - as an artist and as a teacher - insure his prominent place in the history of American art. In his paintings, he tackled significant subject matter of broad cultural resonance. Weir's forty-four-year-long career as director of Yale University's School of the Fine Arts also represents a seminal contribution to the nation's cultural history. John Ferguson Weir: The Labor of Art contains over 140 illustrations, seven in color. In addition, a detailed chronology of Weir's life is contained in an appendix.