Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York

Asher B. Durand, Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York, 1848, oil on canvas, 42 1260 12 in. (107.9153.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thomas M. Evans and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1978.126
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York
Date
1848
Dimensions
42 1260 12 in. (107.9153.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Thomas M. Evans and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Animal — cattle
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — New York — Dover
  • Landscape — New York — Dutchess County
Object Number
1978.126

Artwork Description

The pre-Civil War American landscape served as an idyllic reminder of the nation’s promise, a real-world Garden of Eden.Paintings by Durand and other Hudson River school artists focused on the Arcadian qualities of the landscape. When Dover Plains was first shown in 1848 an art critic wrote, “It is so invested with the characteristics of the natural scenery of our land that almost every visitor who looks upon it could localize the scene.” Durand helped promote the idea that the country’s scenery was emblematic of the nation’s ideals.

Works by this artist (2 items)

Jenny Holzer, For SAAM, 2007, electronic LED array with white diodes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2008.3, © 2007, Jenny Holzer/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
For SAAM
Date2007
electronic LED array with white diodes
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Crystal City, 2009, mixed media installation, including glass, crystal, silver, plastic, and ceramic objects, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Henry R. Muñoz III in honor of Debra Guerrero, 2013.48.1, © 2009, Franco Mondini-Ruiz
Crystal City
Date2009
mixed media installation, including glass, crystal, silver, plastic, and ceramic objects
Not on view
David Esterly, Thomas Jefferson's Letter Rack, 2017, limewood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Candace and Michael Humphreys, 2023.55
Thomas Jefferson’s Letter Rack
Date2017
limewood
Not on view