in his lifetime he produced more than sixty plays, most of which were adaptations or translations from french or german works. a few were original: these were based on american themes and had american characters. however, he is best known for his encyclopedic three-volume "history of the rise and progress of the arts of design in the united states," which was published in 1834, and which is now an invaluable source of information about artists, collecting, and artistic life generally in the colonial and federal periods.