A General View of the Falls of Niagara
Alvan Fisher
1820
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Accession Number
1967.85
Tags
Figure groupIndianNiagara FallsNiagara Fallscloud
About this artwork
This scene by Alvan Fisher conveys the magnificent beauty of Niagara Falls, which quickly became an icon for the new nation. Tiny figures stand at the rim of the cataract, their gestures expressing awe and delight in the grandeur of the scene before them. Lacking a lengthy, cultured past, Americans looked to the grandeur of the landscape to reflect the scale of the new countryâs ambitions. Just as the Seven Wonders of the World had given Europeans a sense of pride in their past, Niagara Falls ...