Presenting the first comprehensive catalogue of the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) American art collection, A National Image reflects the artistic and chronological range of the museum's collection. Included in this group are works by John Singleton Copley, Thomas Sully, Edward Hicks, John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Martin Johnson Heade, Albert Bierstadt, Jacob Lawrence, and many more important American artists.

The catalogue, comprised of over one hundred works of art including oil paintings, stone and metal sculptures, and works on paper, is divided into two sections. The main section of the book comprises four introductory essays and seventy catalogued objects, fully illustrated with color plates and details, the masterpieces of the San Antonio collection of American art. The second section is an appendix of thirty-one works, which are illustrated in black and white. These represent both the lesser-known works of notable artists and the works of lesser-known artists, all of which are a valuable addition to the study of American art in particular, and art history in general.