Old Trees at Naushon Island
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Image: 27.4 × 19.1 cm (10 13/16 × 7 9/16 in.); Plate: 30.5 × 21.5 cm (12 1/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Sheet: 52.3 × 33.8 cm (20 5/8 × 13 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
121832
Art Historical Context
Robert Swain Gifford (1830–1905), a prominent American artist of the 19th century, masterfully captured the rugged beauty of New England's landscapes in *Old Trees at Naushon Island* (1864). This etching depicts ancient, weathered trees on Naushon Island, part of Massachusetts' Elizabeth Islands chain off Cape Cod—a serene, private retreat amid the nation's Civil War turmoil. Gifford, trained as a painter and etcher, drew inspiration from the American wilderness, evoking the Hudson River School's reverence for nature's grandeur through intricate line work. Printed on paper, the work measures ...