Niagara Falls

c. 1860

Platt D. Babbitt

Associated Names
Platt D. Babbitt

Artist, American, c. 1822 - 1879

The image shows a wide vista of a waterfall from a slightly elevated point of view. The silhouette of a tree is on the left, with more trees in the background. Three silhouetted figures are standing close to us, looking at the waterfall. The color palette is dominated by sepia tones, creating an antique feel. Mist rises from the waterfall, obscuring the view. The details are sharp with a softened effect due to the mist.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    ambrotype

  • Credit Line

    Robert B. Menschel and the Vital Projects Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 13.3 × 18.4 cm (5 1/4 × 7 1/4 in.)
    mat: 16.5 × 21.5 cm (6 1/2 × 8 7/16 in.)
    case (closed): 18 × 23 × 2 cm (7 1/16 × 9 1/16 × 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.79.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Charles Schwartz Ltd., New York); NGA purchase, 2008.

Exhibition History

2009

  • In the Darkroom: Photographic Processes Before the Digital Age, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009 - 2010, unnumbered catalogue.

2015

  • In Light of the Past: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of Collecting Photographs at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, May 3 – July 26, 2015

2019

  • The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019, unnumbered catalogue.

Wikidata ID

Q64158837

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