General View from the American Side (Niagara Falls)

c. 1860

Frederick Langenheim

Associated Names
Frederick Langenheim

Artist, American, born Germany, 1809 - 1879

The image is a stereoscopic card featuring a view of a waterfall, presumably Niagara Falls, from the American side. The point of view is from a vantage point on the ground with a direct line of sight to the cascading falls in the distance. Close to us, there is a group of people standing on the rocky terrain, wearing 19th-century attire, with some greenery present. The horizon is obscured by the mist rising from the waterfall. The overall color palette is muted, with earthy browns and greens on the terrain and a light blue to the sky. The waterfall itself is captured with a sense of movement but remains calm and dignified in its depiction. The stereoscopic format offers a dual view that enhances the three-dimensional effect for the viewer.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M72


Artwork overview

  • Medium

    stereoscopic glass transparency

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (each): 6.5 × 6 cm (2 9/16 × 2 3/8 in.)
    plate: 8.5 × 17.3 cm (3 3/8 × 6 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2017.79.2


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Russell Norton, New Haven, CT; NGA purchase, 2017.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

vertical along left edge in gold ink: from the American side.; center vertical: F. LANGENHEIM’S PATENT, Nov. 19, 1850.; vertical along right edge: GENERAL VIEW,; across bottom: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by F. Langenheim, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.


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