Crater Lake Aug 23, 1885 (from Sketchbook X)
Medium
Graphite on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
5 x 7 1/2 in. (12.7 x 19.1 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Gifts in memory of Stephen D. Rubin, 1992
Accession Number
1992.2.2dd
Tags
Art Historical Context
William Trost Richards, a American artist of the Hudson River School captured the majestic beauty of Crater Lake in intimate graphite sketch dated August 23, 1885. Tucked within Sketchbook X, the drawing depicts the Oregon landmark's serene waters nestled amid towering mountains—a testament to Richards' lifelong passion for precise, naturalistic landscapes. At just 5 x 7½ inches, it reflects his meticulous on-site sketching during travels across the American West, blending Romantic reverence for nature with scientific observation. Richards, influenced by Pre-Raphaelite detail and Luminist cla...
About the Artist
William Trost Richards · 1833–1905
William Trost Richards (1833–1905) was a prominent American landscape and marine painter born in Philadelphia, where he attended Central High School before beginning his artistic training. Between 1850 and 1855, he studied part-time under the German-born Hudson River School artist Paul Weber while working as a designer and illustrator of ornamental metalwork. He exhibited his first works at the Pe...