Gallery 26

The Great Swamp

The Great Swamp by Martin Johnson Heade

What do you do to protect the environment?

Heade painted 120 views of salt marshes, natural farmlands where laborers harvested black marsh grasses and gathered them into haystacks to dry. The artist first went into the marshes to hunt and fish, developing a deep appreciation for the productive relationship between humans and the land. The two figures in the canoe—likely a father and son—may have symbolized the future generations that would benefit from protecting and maintaining such natural resources.

The Great Swamp

The Great Swamp by Martin Johnson Heade

What do you do to protect the environment?

Heade painted 120 views of salt marshes, natural farmlands where laborers harvested black marsh grasses and gathered them into haystacks to dry. The artist first went into the marshes to hunt and fish, developing a deep appreciation for the productive relationship between humans and the land. The two figures in the canoe—likely a father and son—may have symbolized the future generations that would benefit from protecting and maintaining such natural resources.

Knight's Valley from the Slopes of Mount St. Helena

Knight's Valley from the Slopes of Mount St. Helena

What emotions does this landscape evoke for you?

Williams and his wife, Dora, owned a small ranch on the Knights Valley side of Mount Saint Helena. The couple hosted artistic and literary visitors at the ranch, including the painters Thomas Hill and William Keith, as well as the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. This view from Ida Clayton Road, near the ranch, is relatively rare for the 19th century—Williams was uniquely positioned to paint the area with intimate familiarity.

Knight's Valley from the Slopes of Mount St. Helena

Knight's Valley from the Slopes of Mount St. Helena

What emotions does this landscape evoke for you?

Williams and his wife, Dora, owned a small ranch on the Knights Valley side of Mount Saint Helena. The couple hosted artistic and literary visitors at the ranch, including the painters Thomas Hill and William Keith, as well as the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. This view from Ida Clayton Road, near the ranch, is relatively rare for the 19th century—Williams was uniquely positioned to paint the area with intimate familiarity.

The Great Swamp

The Great Swamp by Martin Johnson Heade

What do you do to protect the environment?

Heade painted 120 views of salt marshes, natural farmlands where laborers harvested black marsh grasses and gathered them into haystacks to dry. The artist first went into the marshes to hunt and fish, developing a deep appreciation for the productive relationship between humans and the land. The two figures in the canoe—likely a father and son—may have symbolized the future generations that would benefit from protecting and maintaining such natural resources.

The Great Swamp

The Great Swamp by Martin Johnson Heade

What do you do to protect the environment?

Heade painted 120 views of salt marshes, natural farmlands where laborers harvested black marsh grasses and gathered them into haystacks to dry. The artist first went into the marshes to hunt and fish, developing a deep appreciation for the productive relationship between humans and the land. The two figures in the canoe—likely a father and son—may have symbolized the future generations that would benefit from protecting and maintaining such natural resources.

Ruins of the Roman Theatre at Taormina, Sicily

Ruins of the Roman Theatre at Taormine, Sicily by William Stanley Haseltine

What democratic ideals was America founded upon?

Here we see the ruins of a Greek and Roman theater in the ancient town of Taormina, Sicily. Classical civilization had symbolic resonance for many Americans, who viewed their country as being founded upon the democratic ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. Haseltine’s views not only served as a pictorial souvenir of popular tourist destinations but also inspired those who could not afford to take the “Grand Tour” of Europe.

Ruins of the Roman Theatre at Taormina, Sicily

Ruins of the Roman Theatre at Taormine, Sicily by William Stanley Haseltine

What democratic ideals was America founded upon?

Here we see the ruins of a Greek and Roman theater in the ancient town of Taormina, Sicily. Classical civilization had symbolic resonance for many Americans, who viewed their country as being founded upon the democratic ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. Haseltine’s views not only served as a pictorial souvenir of popular tourist destinations but also inspired those who could not afford to take the “Grand Tour” of Europe.

On the Cache la Poudre River

On the Cache la Poudre River by Worthington Whittredge

What might have been left out of this painting?

Whittredge likely made this painting on the last of three journeys to the American West. He was deeply impressed by the beauty of the countryside: “Nothing could be more like an Arcadian landscape . . . the earth covered with soft grass waving in the wind, with innumerable flowers often covering acres with a single color as if they had been planted there.”

On the Cache la Poudre River

On the Cache la Poudre River by Worthington Whittredge

What might have been left out of this painting?

Whittredge likely made this painting on the last of three journeys to the American West. He was deeply impressed by the beauty of the countryside: “Nothing could be more like an Arcadian landscape . . . the earth covered with soft grass waving in the wind, with innumerable flowers often covering acres with a single color as if they had been planted there.”