Mount Vernon
Label Text
This painting is one of a group of views of Mount Vernon executed by Russell Smith during or just after his 1839 visit to the estate. At the time, George Washington’s Mount Vernon –and particularly the old and new tomb–were revered as national pilgrimage sites, a place where visitors could experience the greatness of Washington and the founding generation. The estate remained privately owned by Washington descendants, and was beginning to show the effects of heavy visitation. Here, Smith has presented a striking view of the mansion from the Potomac, and framed it with vegetation. A large cloud formation, which contains a face at far left, may suggest Washington in Heaven.
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Date1839
Artist
William Thompson Russell Smith
(American, 1812 - 1896)
Geography
Probably made -
United States
DimensionsOverall (H x W x D, framed): 15 3/4 in. x 18 7/8 in. x 2 1/2 in. (40.01 cm x 47.94 cm x 6.35 cm)
Overall (image): 7 5/8 in. x 11 5/8 in. (19.37 cm x 29.53 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Julian L. Woodward in memory of her son Eliot Greenleaf Woodward 1932-1978, 1979
Object numberM-2742/A-B
DescriptionA horizontal landscape depicting the south east front of Mount Vernon. The mansion is presented encircled by the arc of curving tree branches from a large tree at right, a smaller tree at left, and smaller bushes and foliage below. A dirt track leads the eye towards the mansion from the right of the frame. The background is composed of blue sky and a large cloud formation, which contains a face at far left. In the left foreground there is a brown wooden bench set amid vegetation. Blue underdrawing can be seen throughout the trees in particular. It is framed in a reproduction gilt wood frame.
Published ReferencesLydia Mattice Brandt, “Picturing Mount Vernon,” Imprint 38: 1 (Spring 2013), 2-19. (General Reference)
Lydia Mattice Brandt, "Re-living Mount Vernon: Replicas and Memories of America's Most Famous House." Ph.D. diss., University of Virginia, 2011. (General Reference)
Robert W. Torchia, The Smiths: A Family of Philadelphia Artists, (Philadelphia, PA: Schwarz Gallery, 1999). (General Reference)
Virginia E. Lewis, Russell Smith: Romantic Realist (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1956), 74-76.
Virginia E. Lewis, Russell Smith: Romantic Realist, exhibition catalogue (Pittsburgh: Department of Fine Arts, University of Pittsburgh, 1948). (General Reference)
James Albert Wineberger, The Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon (Washington, D.C.: T. McGill, 1858). (General Reference)
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