Provenance
Possibly Jonathan Sturges [1802-1874], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut;[1] his son, Frederick Sturges [d. 1917], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut; his son, Frederick Sturges, Jr. [1876-1977], New York, and Fairfield, Connecticut;[2] gift 1978 to NGA.
[1] According to letters of 27 August and 7 December 1981 from Frederick Sturges III (in NGA curatorial files), family tradition held that paintings in the Sturges collection were all originally purchased by Jonathan Sturges. In this instance, however, as with several other paintings (see Durand's _Forest in the Morning Light_ and _Pastoral Scene_ [1978.6.2 and 1978.6.3] and Kensett's _Beacon Rock, Newport Harbor_ and _Beach at Beverly_ [1953.1.1 and 1978.6.]) no certain evidence establishes ownership by Jonathan Sturges. No works by Casilear are mentioned in the discussion of the Jonathan Sturges collection in Thomas S. Cummings, _Historic Annals of the National Academy of Design (1825-1863)_, Philadelphia, 1865: 141 (reprint New York, 1965), or in Henry T. Tuckerman, _Book of the Artists_, New York, 1867: 627 (reprint New York, 1967). In 1860 Frederick Sturges lent a work by Casilear, entitled _A Reminiscence of Switzerland_, to the Artists' Fund Society in New York (James L. Yarnall and William H. Gerdts, _The National Museum of American Art's Index to American Art Exhibition Catalogues from the beginning through the 1876 Centennial Year_, 6 vols., Boston, 1986: 1: 604, no. 14703). Although it is conceivable _A Reminiscence_ was this painting (which would mean the present title is inaccurate), it seems unlikely. Most of Casilear's early Swiss works (such as _Swiss Scene_, 1859, National Academy of Design; Barbara Novak and Annette Blaugrund, eds., _Next to Nature: Landscape Paintings from the National Academy of Design_, New York, 1980: 54) show identifiably Alpine terrain, with distinctive snow-capped mountains.
[2] Frederick Sturges, Jr., died on 14 October 1977, according to Frederick Sturges III (letter of 27 January 1982 in NGA curatorial files). _View on Lake George_ came to the National Gallery as a bequest with four other paintings.
Accession Number
1978.6.1
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 50.5 x 76 cm (19 7/8 x 29 15/16 in.) | framed: 77.5 x 102.2 x 12.4 cm (30 1/2 x 40 1/4 x 4 7/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Gift of Frederick Sturges, Jr.
Tags
Painting Impressionist & Modern (1851–1900) Oil Painting Canvas American
Background & Context
Background Story
John William Casilear (1811-1893) was an American landscape painter associated with the second generation of the Hudson River School, known for his luminous landscapes of the American Northeast. View on Lake George from 1857 depicts one of the most popular subjects in American landscape painting—Lake George in the Adirondacks—with the luminous atmosphere and precise detail that distinguish Casilear's best work. The 1857 date places this in the period when the Hudson River School was producing its most accomplished landscapes, and Lake George was one of the most popular subjects for American landscape painters because of its combination of mountain scenery and historical associations.
Cultural Impact
View on Lake George is important in the history of American landscape painting because it demonstrates the Hudson River School's treatment of one of its most popular subjects. Lake George was second only to Niagara Falls as a subject for American landscape painters in the 19th century, and Casilear's treatment shows the luminous atmosphere and precise detail that distinguish the second generation of the Hudson River School from the more grandiose manner of the first generation.
Why It Matters
View on Lake George is Casilear's luminous Hudson River School: one of the most popular subjects in American landscape painting rendered with the luminous atmosphere and precise detail that distinguish the second generation of the Hudson River School. The 1857 painting shows Lake George at its most atmospheric and precisely detailed.