Snoqualmie Falls

1886

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 765

Brown was among the first Black American artists to paint landscapes of the West. Born in Pennsylvania to parents of mixed heritage, he passed as White after moving to California, a decision that offered him more professional opportunities. Brown worked as a lithographer in San Francisco until 1882, when he relocated to the Pacific Northwest. This luminous painting depicts Snoqualmie Falls, a sacred landmark of the Snoqualmie peoples in present-day western Washington. A railroad to the falls was completed shortly after Brown’s visit, popularizing the site as a tourist destination.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Snoqualmie Falls
Artist: Grafton Tyler Brown (American, 1841–1918)
Date: 1886
Culture: American
Medium: Oil on board
Dimensions: 13 1/4 × 16 1/4 in. (33.7 × 41.3 cm)
Credit Line: Partial and Promised Gift of Charlynn and Warren Goins, 2019
Object Number: 2019.601.3
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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