(Sketchbook) Near Roche

Art Historical Context

George Elbert Burr's *(Sketchbook) Near Roche (1899) captures a serene landscape moment through the intimate medium of drawing. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's, this work from Burr's sketchbook depicts a farm nestled amid mountains near Roche—likely an on-the-spot study evoking the American countryside at the turn of the 20th century. Sketchbooks like this were vital tools for artists, allowing quick notations of light, form, and atmosphere during travels. Created in 1899, the piece reflects the era's growing fascination with natural beauty and regional scenes, as artists ventured into rural America to document its unspoiled vistas. Burr's precise lines and tonal shading highlight the farm's humble structures against towering peaks, blending human presence with majestic wilderness. Though a modest drawing, it showcases the preparatory essence of artistic practice, where raw sketches often inspired larger works. Generously bequeathed to the Smithsonian by Carolann Smurthwaite in memory of her mother, Caroline Atherton Connell Smurthwaite, this artwork invites visitors to appreciate the quiet poetry of everyday landscapes. It reminds us how a simple pencil stroke can preserve a fleeting view from over a century ago.

About the Artist

George Elbert Burr · 1859–1939

George Elbert Burr was an American printmaker and watercolorist whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, earning him a reputation as one of the foremost etchers of the American West. Born in 1859 in Monroe Falls, Ohio, Burr trained as a commercial illustrator before turning his full attention to fine art. He honed his craft through diligent self-study and close obser...