VIEW OF THE PASSIE [SIC] FALLS

Art

Historic Hudson Valley

Name/Title

Entry/Object ID

L.2007.39

Description

Colored steel cut engraving of bridge over a waterfall with cliffs and a river below: in the foreground, bushes, rocks, and grass populate the bank of the river; to the left, two figures wearing red, yellow, and blue stand on a small stretch of curved beach; the river is smooth; three white birds fly close to the surface; boulders punctuate the water at the base of the sheer gray cliffs; trees with browning leaves grow on top of the cliffs; water cascades over the cliffs, slightly left of center; a wooden bridge spans the waterfall; there are some gray clouds in an otherwise blue sky; below the scene, on far left corner, is printed, "W.H.Bartlett."; on far right corner is printed, "J. Sands."; in center, the title is printed, "VIEW OF THE PASSAIE [PASSAIC] FALLS."; on bottom left the title translated to French is printed, "CASCADES DE PASSAIE."; on bottom right the title translated to German is printed, "DIE PASSAIE CASCADE."; on bottom center is printed, "London, Published for the Proprietors, by Geo: Virtue, 26, Ivy Lane, 1839."

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper (wove), Ink, Watercolor, Paper (wove), ink, watercolor

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

William Henry Bartlett

Attribution

Artist

James Sands

Attribution

Engraver

Manufacturer

George Virtue

Date made

1839

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Height

8 in

Width

10-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Display Dimensions: 8 x 10 1/2 in. (20.3 x 26.7 cm)

Condition

Notes

Remarks: Slight discoloration in a square surrounding the image, from mat; bottom edge cut irregularly; graphite marks, bottom center and center right; wrinkle, top center; accretion of miniscule specks of gold leaf throughout surface; two small perforations along bottom edge; recto has yellowing along edges; a line of yellowing at bottom, two inches from right edge; graphite mark, two inches from right edge and two inches from bottom edge; line of soiling top right, along mat; hinged with one piece of white adhesive tape along top.

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

William Diebold

Notes

Former owner

General Notes

Note Type

Curatorial Remarks

Note

Diebold Box #45 In another version of the same scene, also published by George Virtue, the title is corrected to "View of the Passaic Falls"

Note Type

General Note

Note

View of the Passie Falls is plate number 98 in American Scenery: Or, Land, Lake and River Illustrations of Transatlantic Nature. Publisher George Virtue commissioned William H. Bartlett to illustrate American Scenery, for which N.P. Willis wrote the text. Bartlett completed these watercolor drawings during two visits to America between 1836 and 1838. The drawings were engraved starting in 1837 by numerous English engravers and published in installments of four engravings. Subscribers could have the prints bound in two volumes in 1840 when the installments were complete.

Note Type

StorageNote

Note

Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Administrative Office, Archive Room, Shelf O3, B4

Note Type

Department

Note

Library