The Summit of the Cliff, Smoky Mountains vs. The Summit of the Cliff (Western NC)
Like his near-contemporary Winslow Homer, the Baltimore-born Alfred Wordsworth Thompson began his career working as a Civil War “special artist” for Harper’s Weekly, before seeking further training in Paris. He returned to America, in 1868, and established a studio in New York, where he came to specialize in scenes of both contemporary rural life and historical subjects—especially in Virginia. The Summit of the Cliff plein-air sketch—so different from Thompson’s meticulously academic studio productions—apparently relates to an ambitious “large landscape of western North Carolina scenery” that an anonymous reviewer observed on a visit to the artist’s New York studio. Identifying the all-but-finished canvas as representing a broad valley with Mount Pisgah and Cold Mountain in the background, the writer praised his technique: “Mr. Thompson combines in his style much of the solidity of the French with the charming detail of the American school, and in all that he does he gives evidence of the thorough training he has received in his preliminary studies.” It is likely that The Summit of the Cliff is one such study for this now unlocated composition. Reconstruction-era paintings of Southern Whites are rare in the history of American art.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Summit of the Cliff, Smoky Mountains vs. The Summit of the Cliff (Western NC)
- Artist: Alfred Wordsworth Thompson (American, Baltimore, Maryland 1840–1896 Summit, New Jersey)
- Date: 1868
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on board
- Dimensions: 7 1/4 × 6 1/4 in. (18.4 × 15.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Susan Lueck, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.250
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.