John Frederick Kensett
The son of a British engraver who had immigrated to Connecticut, John Frederick Kensett first worked as an engraver before beginning to paint seriously. He submitted his first painting to the National Academy of Design at the age of 22, and was later associated with the Hudson River School. After seven years of travel and study in Europe, he returned to the United States, where he made sketching trips in the Catskills, the Adirondacks, and the American West.
Do you embrace being a tourist or try to blend in with the locals?
Kensett cultivated potential patrons during his frequent visits to Newport, Rhode Island, a summer resort town popular with the wealthy. A natural businessman, he perceived a ready market for views of Newport’s pristine coastline and landscape among those visiting the fashionable resorts. This quiet scene—a meticulous study of nature under the suffused effects of morning light—records the subtle beauty of the region’s inner harbor.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd
Item ID
1979.7.69
Dimensions
18 x 30 in. (45.7 x 76.2 cm)
Date
1859
Country
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Artist name
John Frederick Kensett
Artwork location