American Falls, Niagara

Jasper Francis Cropsey

ca. 1855 · Graphite and white gouache on dark buff-colored wove paper · The American Wing

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.”

Artist

Jasper Francis Cropsey

Date

ca. 1855

Medium

Graphite and white gouache on dark buff-colored wove paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Sheila and Richard J. Schwartz Fund, 1987