William Paxton took inspiration from the luminous effects and intimate settings of the seventeenth- century Dutch master Jan Vermeer. In 1913, Paxton assisted artist/critic Philip Hale in editing the first American book on Vermeer.
http://www.butlerart.com/pc_book/pag...axton_1869.htm
http://www.nga.gov/feature/vermeer/symbols1.shtm