Off the Pedestal is a study of the advancement of women in social and professional circles in the second half of the nineteenth century. This theme is represented through paintings, drawings, photographs, lithographs and even an early Thomas Edison film. Balancing quality and quantity of light throughout this exhibit was the greatest challenge, and contributed to the overwhelming success of the installation. The last room of the exhibit, which contains larger than life size portraits by John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Thomas Eakins, is made all the more dramatic through the careful selection and focusing of lighting in this gallery.