Natural Bridge
Medium
color lithograph on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 34.45 × 43.34 cm (13 9/16 × 17 1/16 in.) sheet: 45.09 × 63.34 cm (17 3/4 × 24 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection
Accession Number
2015.19.3615.11
Art Historical Context
Created in 1857, this color lithograph captures the awe-inspiring Natural Bridge, a soaring limestone arch in Virginia that captivated 19th-century travelers and artists alike. Woldemar Rau produced the print after a design by Edward Beyer, a German-born artist who documented American landscapes during his travels through the South. The work beautifully translates Beyer’s original view into a vibrant printed format, allowing viewers to appreciate the bridge’s dramatic scale against the surrounding wooded cliffs and rushing stream below. As a color lithograph on wove paper, the piece reflects ...