Art historian Guy McElroy has identified this work as one of the first " to utilize physiognomical distortions [ wide toothy grins and over-sized lips ] as a basic element in the depiction of African Americans . . . " The depiction of a mother and daughter trying to persuade the drunken father to come home has caused historians of the temperance movement to praise " In an American Inn " as the first work of an American artist to illustrate this issue.
