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American Falls, Niagara

ca. 1855
Not on view
This drawing is a detailed study of part of the American Falls of Niagara--Luna Fall. The artist’s point of view is a precarious perch that he labeled “Cropsey rock,” located at the base of Goat Island, which lies in the middle of the Niagara River and divides the stream into two separate waterfalls: the American Falls and the crescent-shaped Horseshoe, or Canadian, Falls. Addressing what was once one of the most popular subjects in American landscape art, Cropsey broad-brushed heavy layers of white gouache to convey the hurling foam of the cascade. Cropsey painted at least seven canvases of Niagara Falls. Of these, five share the viewpoint from “Cropsey rock.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: American Falls, Niagara
  • Artist: Jasper Francis Cropsey (American, Rossville, New York 1823–1900 Hastings-on-Hudson, New York)
  • Date: ca. 1855
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Graphite and white gouache on dark buff-colored wove paper
  • Dimensions: 9 13/16 x 8 15/16 in. (24.9 x 22.7 cm)
  • Credit Line: Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz Fund, 1987
  • Object Number: 1987.196.2
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Castel San Elmo (from Cropsey Album), Jasper Francis Cropsey American, Graphite, white gouache, and watercolor on dark buff-colored wove paper, American
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