Niagara and the Rapids
Niagara and the Rapids
Artist
John Vanderlyn
(1775 - 1852)
Dateca. 1801-1802
MediumOil on paper mounted on board
Dimensions14 1/2 x 46 1/2 in. (36.8 x 118.1 cm)
Framed: 19 x 51 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (48.3 x 130.8 x 6.4 cm)
Framed: 19 x 51 1/2 x 2 1/2 in. (48.3 x 130.8 x 6.4 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.54
Accession number
2006.54
On View
On viewLabel TextDespite the intimate scale of this painting, the long, narrow, panoramic format and bird’s eye viewpoint emphasize the magnitude of the horseshoe-shaped falls and grandeur of the surrounding landscape. By the early nineteenth century, Niagara became a symbol of the young nation’s strength, splendor, and natural abundance.
John Vanderlyn began his career in the studio of Gilbert Stuart. Under the patronage of the New York Senator, and later Vice President, Aaron Burr, he became the first American painter to study in Paris, rather than in London.
