The Great Horseshoe Fall, Niagara

Alvan Fisher, The Great Horseshoe Fall, Niagara, 1820, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1966.82.1
Alvan Fisher, The Great Horseshoe Fall, Niagara, 1820, oil on canvas, 34 3848 in. (87.2122.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1966.82.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Great Horseshoe Fall, Niagara
Artist
Date
1820
Dimensions
34 3848 in. (87.2122.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — waterfall — Horseshoe Falls
  • Landscape — Canada — Niagara Falls
  • Landscape — waterfall — Niagara Falls
  • Landscape — phenomenon — rainbow
  • Figure group
Object Number
1966.82.1

Artwork Description

Two scenes by Fisher (this painting and Fisher's A General View of the Falls of Niagara) capture the thrill of visiting Niagara Falls, a site in upstate New York that quickly became a symbol of the continent's epic scale and natural beauty. Tiny figures throw out their arms as if trying to describe to one another the vastness of what they see. Elegant tourists peer decorously across the chasm through opera glasses, while one young lady covers her ears against the stupendous noise. Reckless young men lie on their stomachs, daring one another to draw closer to the rock's edge.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (217 items)

Herman A. Webster, Le Moulin au Bord de l'Eau, 1926, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.116
Le Moulin au Bord de l’Eau
Date1926
etching
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Street Scene, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Olin Dows, 1979.136.239
Street Scene
etching
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Fin d'Une Belle Journee d'Automne, 1938, pencil and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.89
Fin d’Une Belle Journee d’Automne
Date1938
pencil and watercolor on paper
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Bird's-Eye View of Venice, 1933, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.55
Bird’s-Eye View of Venice
Date1933
pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view