The two predominant developments of post-Civil War architecture were the polychromed "muscular" High Victorian Gothic and the mansarded Second Empire style. The popularity of these styles signaled a fundamental shift toward French influence and away from the English styles that had dominated American architecture, painting, and sculpture until that time. It became easy and customary to study abroad, and many major American artists at the end of the century did so, drawn by the superior quality of art instruction in Paris.