Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
Medium
Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on light tan wove paper
Dimensions
8 3/16 x 14 1/4 in. (20.8 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Watercolor
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of The Reverend E. L. Magoon, D.D., 1880
Accession Number
80.1.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
William Trost Richards captures the majestic drama of Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, in this 1872 watercolor, gouache, and graphite drawing on light tan wove paper. Measuring just8 3/16 x 14 1/4 inches, the intimate work depicts towering mountains, winding roads, and distant figures of men traversing the landscape, evoking the sublime power of the American wilderness. As a prominent member of the Hudson River School, Richards was renowned for his meticulous renderings of nature, blending Romantic awe with precise observation during the post-Civil War era when Americans sought solace and natio...
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...