The Hudson, Storm King, 1871 (from Sketchbook)

Art Historical Context

Daniel Huntington's *The Hudson, Storm King, 1871 (frombook)* captures the majestic River at Storm King Mountain, a dramatic landmark in New York's Hudson Highlands. Created around 1870 as a graphite sketch on paper (5 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.), this intimate study reflects the artist's keen eye for the American landscape during a time when the Hudson Valley symbolized national pride and natural splendor. Huntington, a prominent 19th-century American painter known for portraits and historical scenes, occasionally turned to plein air sketching, revealing his deep connection to the region's timeless beauty. As a quick pencil drawing from a personal sketchbook, the work highlights the spontaneity and portability of graphite on paper—a favored medium for artists traveling to capture fleeting light and form on-site. Storm King, with its steep cliffs overlooking the river, inspired generations of Hudson River School painters, evoking themes of sublime wilderness amid post-Civil War America's growing appreciation for its own scenery. This piece, now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing (gift of S.B. Luyster, 1936), offers visitors a window into an artist's preparatory process, blending observation with the era's Romantic reverence for nature.

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...