Through May 22, the Brandywine River Museum will present “Animals in the Gallery,” a new exhibition of paintings, drawings and sculpture by American artists of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries.

Works exhibited portray animals as symbols of peace, majestic creatures of nature, subjects of scientific study, barnyard subjects, human companions and figures in cartoons and illustrations.

The exhibition features many works from the museum’s own holdings and important paintings and drawings lent by public and private collections.

Following English traditions, American artists of the early to mid-Nineteenth Century created portraits of special breeds of livestock for wealthy landowners. Thomas Hewes Hinckley (1813-1896) made a specialty of wild game and cattle portraits but was also widely regarded for his barnyard portraits exemplified by “Cow and Bull,” 1869. Another popular artist, Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1819-1905), was the chief illustrator of hunting and western scenes for Currier & Ives lithographs, but he also depicted domestic animals.

German-born Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902) is represented by two works in the exhibition that depict animals in fabulous scenery. Naturalist and artist John James Audubon’s (1785-1851) studies of birds and mammals satisfied both scientific study and aesthetic appreciation. While many of his famous works are intricately detailed watercolors, Audubon also created oil paintings with narrative themes, such as “Fox and Goose,” 1835,and “American Black Rat,” 1842, which appear in the exhibition.

During the 1870s and 1880s, American artists studied abroad and returned to the United States with ides that transformed the manner in which animals and landscapes were depicted. Influenced by these artists, Winslow Homer took frequent trips to the Adirondacks and Canada, producing paintings noted for their keen observations of light, color and form in nature.

By the turn of the Twentieth Century, realistic images of farming, hunting and fishing became popular. Frank English (1854-1922) and Thomas Anshutz (1851-1912) made careers of such painting. Later, Daniel Garber’s (1880-1958) “A Pair of Grays,” 1909, and N.C. Wyeth’s (1882-1945) “April Rain,” 1935, gave such subjects new life through atmospheric effects and artistic details.

Images of pets have always been popular. While many works are sentimental, others are sophisticated and engaging. The exhibition includes the museum’s painting “Do Not Feed” by Alexander Pope (1849-1924), an image of puppies that remains a favorite of museum visitors. In addition, Eastman Johnson’s (1824-1906) “Child with Rabbit,” 1879, and John George Brown’s (1831-1913) “The Foundling,” 1907, reflect people’s enduring ties with animals.

The exhibition also includes “Islander,” 1975, and “10w-30,” 1981, by Jamie Wyeth (born 1946) who is well known for his deep admiration and respect for pets, animals on his farm, and wild creatures he encounters in Chadds Ford, Penn., and Maine.

Additionally, the exhibition contains many works from the museum’s collection of children’s book illustrations, including Bert Salg’s drawing “Lion and Lamb Sharing the Dinner Table,” dates unknown, Peggy Bacon’s (1895-1987) drawing for “Miranda and the Cat,” 1963. and Charles Santore’s (born 1935) illustration for The Tales of Peter Rabbit, 1986.

Fine illustrations lent to the exhibition include Will Bradley’s (1868-1962) frontispiece design for his book Peter Poodle, Toymaker to the King, 1906, and Jerry Pinkney’s (born 1939) illustrations for The Wind in the Willows, 1971, and Aesop’s Fables, 2000.

Located on US Route 1, the museum is open daily, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Admission is $8. For information, 610-388-2700 or www.brandywinemuseum.org.