Landscapes

Art Historical Context

**Landscapes** (1859) by Daniel Huntington a refined graphite drawing on wove paper, measuring just17.62 × 24.61 cm. This intimate scale suggests it served as a preparatory sketch or personal study, capturing the artist's keen observation of nature during the mid-19th. Huntington, a prominent American artist active in New York’s vibrant art scene, often explored landscapes early in his career, blending ideals with precise draftsmanship. The choice of graphite on smooth wove paper highlights 19th-century drawing techniques, where the medium’s versatility allowed for subtle tonal gradations and intricate details—ideal for evoking atmospheric depth in natural scenes. Produced on the eve of the Civil War, such works reflect a nostalgic embrace of America’s wilderness amid rapid industrialization. Now part of the National Gallery of Art’s Corcoran Collection—acquired through a generous exchange facilitated by a gift from Emily Sargent and Violet Ormond, sisters of painter John Singer Sargent—this drawing exemplifies Huntington’s contribution to American artistic heritage, bridging Romanticism and emerging realism in graphite studies.

About the Artist

Daniel Huntington · 1816–1906

Daniel Huntington (1816–1906) was born into a prominent New York family on October 4, 1816, descending from distinguished New England lineage. His early education began at age fourteen at Smith's Academy in New Haven, followed by Yale College, where he studied with Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor, artist, and president of the National Academy of Design, in 1835. After a disciplinary incident invo...