Lyndhurst for George Merritt, Tarrytown, New York (west [rear] elevation and plan)
![Lyndhurst for George Merritt, Tarrytown, New York (west [rear] elevation and plan) by Alexander Jackson Davis](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/dp/thumb/lyndhurst-for-george-merritt-tarrytown-new-york-388433.webp)
Medium
Watercolor, ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 18 7/8 x 26 5/8 in. (47.9 x 67.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1924
Accession Number
24.66.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1865, renowned American architect Alexander Jackson Davis this exquisite architectural drawing for the expansion of Lyndhurst a Gothic Revival mansion inarrytown, New York commissioned by financier George Merritt. The sheet presents the west (rear) and floor plan, capturing the home's dramatic silhouette with its pointed arches, steep gables, and ornate detailing—hallmarks of the Gothic Revival style that Davis championed. Originally designed by Davis in 1838 for William Paulding Jr., Lyndhurst was enlarged in the 1860s to reflect Merritt's wealth and the era's Romantic fascination with med...
About the Artist
Alexander Jackson Davis · 1803–1892
Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892) was a pioneering American architect whose imaginative designs helped define the nation's picturesque country house tradition. Born in New York City on July 24, 1803, Davis received an informal education, studying drawing at the American Academy of the Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the antique casts at the National Academy of Design. He apprent...