Name/Title
"Crossing the French Broad"Entry/Object ID
2022.1.2Description
Landscape painting of French Broad River. The painting depicts a covered wagon, two men, and horses in the foreground and a mountain range and river in the background. A small cabin is depicted on the left side of the painting beside a waterfall that flows into the river. The wood frame is gold and silver.Type of Painting
EaselArtwork Details
Medium
Oil on CanvasSubject
French Broad RiverContext
Fewer than 10 landscapes by William Harrison Scarborough (1812–1871) are noted in Helen Kohn Hennig’s 1937 biography of the artist. Although the list is incomplete, this painting is included. While Scarborough’s 1850s account book documents that he occasionally painted landscapes for hire, it seems that the majority were meant for his own residence or perhaps those of his children. By 1937, this landscape had been passed down to Robert Barnwell (1860–1952), the husband of Scarborough’s granddaughter, Wilhelmina DuBose (1868–1899).
Scarborough was a native of Dover, Tennessee, and lived with his first wife’s family prior to and immediately after her death in 1835. Their only son, John Gaines Scarborough (1835–1913), continued to live with his grandparents in Edens Ridge, Tennessee, near the Virginia border, until he was seven. It is likely that Scarborough experienced numerous views of the French Broad while traveling along the Buncombe Turnpike on trips to see his son.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
William Harrison ScarboroughRole
PainterDate made
1839Dimensions
Dimension Description
Without FrameHeight
33-1/2 inLength
36-1/2 inDimension Description
In FrameHeight
31-3/4 inDepth
1-1/2 inLength
38-3/4 in
