Frederic Edwin Church

Church's first visit to Niagara Falls was probably in 1848, a few months after Thomas Cole's death. Church made the trip from his home along the Hudson River several times, probably travelling the Erie Canal. He is thought that he visited again in September of 1851 but in 1856 he started work on the painting above. That year Church visited the Falls at all seasons - on March 19-20, on July 7th and again in September and October. The work was finally exhibited in 1857 at Williams, Stevens & Williams. Viewers were charged twenty five cents to see the painting. The gallery purchased the painting for $2,500 plus $2,000 for copyright to make chromolithographs.

Frederic Edwin Church - Niagara Falls from the American Side, 1867 National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

He visited the Falls again in August 1858 and stayed for a month. He chartered the Maid of the Mist to take him to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. The captain kept the steamer headed into the current for 40 minutes while Church sketched. The resulting work was sent to London to be exhibited and draw for chromolithographs. It is lost today. The work above is one of the largest he painted, measuring 8 ft 6 inches by 7 ft 7 inches.

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This Page was created November 30, 1998