Saco, Looking Northwest
mid 1860s
Medium
graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 25.6 × 35.2 cm (10 1/16 × 13 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
John Davis Hatch Collection
Accession Number
1979.20.65
Art Historical Context
Daniel Huntington's *Saco, Looking Northwest created in the mid-1860s, offers a serene graphite drawing on wove paper, capturing panoramic view of the Saco area—likely the coastal Maine landscape along the Saco River. Measuring 25.6 × 35.2 cm, this intimate invites viewers into the natural beauty of 19th-century New England, a region that captivated American artists during the post-Civil War era of national reflection and expansion. Rendered in graphite, Huntington's precise lines and subtle shading on smooth wove paper highlight his skill in preparatory sketches, a technique favored by lands...
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...