[Matchless Scene — from 2nd Rustic Bridge, 3rd Glen]
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.On July 4, 1863, two entrepreneurs opened to paying visitors a natural wonder of silvery cascades, deep ravines, and rocky arcades near the village of Watkins, New York. The wilderness attraction became immediately popular, as an enchanting retreat from both the summer heat and the stark realities of the Civil War. These four views by the Gates Brothers were among the first souvenir photographs sold to the thousands of annual visitors to the site (now Watkins Glen State Park)—a destination that would soon rival for popularity Niagara Falls and the Catskills. The photographers’ portable darkroom is visible to the left of the stream.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Matchless Scene — from 2nd Rustic Bridge, 3rd Glen]
- Artist: Gates Brothers (American, active 1860s–1890s)
- Date: 1865
- Medium: Albumen silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 5 1/8 × 3 7/8 in. (13 × 9.8 cm)
Sheet: 5 1/8 × 3 7/8 in. (13 × 9.8 cm)
Mount: 8 1/2 in. × 6 1/2 in. (21.6 × 16.5 cm)
Frame (approx): 17 x 14 in. - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: William L. Schaeffer Collection, Promised Gift of Jennifer and Philip Maritz, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary
- Object Number: L.2019.57.476
- Curatorial Department: Photographs