Name/Title
WINTER SCENE ON THE CATTERSKILLSEntry/Object ID
L.2007.101Description
William Bartlett captured the Hudson River Valley in all its moods and seasons. In this rare night view, moonlight and stars illuminate a frozen pond in the Catskills. The dangers of the region impose on the peaceful scene, however, as the hunters shown at the right side appear unaware of the bear nearby. Hudson Valley residents both supplemented their larders and protected themselves and their livestock through hunting. Here, though, the artist may have taken a bit of artistic license; few bears roam the Catskills during winter hibernation.
Colored steel cut engraving of a lake at night with hunters and a bear: in the right foreground, two figures with guns stand among fallen trees; two mostly-bare pine trees rise behind them; logs, grass, and rocks form the shoreline; on the left; a rustic bridge surrounded by pines and other bare trees; a bear and a man walk on the frozen lake; sky speckled with stars and the rising moon illuminates the scene; below the scene, on far left corner, printed: "W.H.Bartlett."; on far right corner, printed: "J. Rogers."; in center, the title, printed: "WINTER SCENE ON THE CATTERSKILLS"; on bottom center, printed: "London, Published for the Proprietors, by Geo: Virtue, 26, Ivy Lane, 1839."Artwork Details
Medium
Paper (wove), Ink, Watercolor, Paper (wove), ink, watercolorMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
William Henry BartlettAttribution
ArtistArtist
J. RogersAttribution
EngraverManufacturer
George VirtueDate made
1839Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
10-3/4 inWidth
8-1/8 inDimension Notes
Display Dimensions: 10 3/4 x 8 1/8 in. (27.3 x 20.6 cm)Condition
Notes
Remarks: Writing in pencil top corners; liquid stain top right corner; yellowing from removed adhesive, top right; accretion center right; bottom left corner dog-eared; crease along left edge; abrasion and tear top left; discoloration and traces of watercolor throughout; recto has yellowing and soil beneath the image; two areas of removed adhesive, top and bottom center; pencil mark top left.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
William DieboldNotes
Former ownerRelated Entries
Notes
L.2007.32 - Engraving - Similar itemGeneral Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
Diebold Box #7Note Type
General NoteNote
Winter Scene is plate number 70 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
StorageNoteNote
Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Administrative Office, Archive Room, Shelf O3, B5Note Type
DepartmentNote
Library