Landscape with Family by Lake

Robert S. Duncanson, Landscape with Family by Lake, 1858, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of J & R Investments, 1983.95.175
Copied Robert S. Duncanson, Landscape with Family by Lake, 1858, oil on canvas, 12 x 17 in. (30.5 x 43.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of J & R Investments, 1983.95.175
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Artwork Details

Title
Landscape with Family by Lake
Artist
Date
1858
Location
Dimensions
12 x 17 in. (30.5 x 43.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of J & R Investments
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Recreation — sport and play — boating
  • Landscape — lake
  • Figure group — family
Object Number
1983.95.175
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.175

Artwork Description

During the late 1850s, Robert S. Duncanson painted romantic views of the Ohio River valley, near his home in Cincinnati. Images like Landscape with Family by Lake showed people enjoying nature in peaceful settings, suggesting the nineteenth-century faith that God created the wilderness for man to enjoy. The setting sun infuses the tree in the foreground with glowing colors to evoke a divine light watching over the countryside.