The Waterfall

1860s-1870s

John William Hill

Associated Names
John William Hill

Artist, American, 1812 - 1879

The image shows a waterfall cascading down rocky terrain into a pool of water. Dense foliage obscures the horizon, and a figure fishes on a rocky outcrop. Fine, detailed brushstrokes depict textures like water and foliage. The color palette includes earthy greens and browns, cool blues and whites for water, and hints of yellow and orange for wildflowers, creating a tranquil woodland scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor and gouache over graphite on paperboard

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase)

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 42.23 × 35.24 cm (16 5/8 × 13 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2014.136.188

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(C. K. Johnson, Hurley, New York); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1948; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1977

  • Changing Prospects: Views of America on Paper from the Corcoran Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (Tour of Canada), 1977-1979

1979

  • Sketches by Contemporaries of Frederic E. Church, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1979

  • American Places, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1979-1980

1983

  • American Master Drawings from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1983

1986

  • American Masters: Works on Paper from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1986-1988, pp. 27-29, no. 13, repro

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 12, no. 80.

Inscriptions

lower right in red goauche: J.W.Hill

Wikidata ID

Q64584502

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