Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present the first museum exhibition devoted to the bold and expressive vision of Thomas Chambers, the 19th-century artist who was once hailed as “America’s first modern.” Thomas Chambers (1808-1869), American Marine and Landscape Painter (Sept. 27 – Dec. 28, 2008) includes 44 of the artist’s works, approximately 15 paintings and prints by his contemporaries and a selection of decorative arts from the heyday of American “fancy” taste. Although much of his life has been a mystery until recently, Chambers played a pioneering role in the development of popular American landscape and maritime art in the mid-19th century.