View from the Peak of Otter, No. 2

1857

Woldemar Rau, after Edward Beyer

Associated Names
Woldemar Rau

Artist, German, 1827 - 1889

Rau & Son

Printer, German, active mid-19th century

Edward Beyer

Artist After, American, born Germany, 1820 - 1865

The image shows a high vantage point overlooking a landscape of rolling hills and valleys. On the right, there are large rock formations with people nearby. In the distance, there are mountains silhouetted against a pale sky. The artwork features delicate brushstrokes creating a soft, illustrative quality. The color palette includes earth tones with variations of browns, beige, and light greens in the hills and valleys. The sky is primarily soft gray, transitioning into lighter hues.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color lithograph on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 28.58 × 46.83 cm (11 1/4 × 18 7/16 in.)
    sheet: 45.09 × 63.34 cm (17 3/4 × 24 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.3615.7

Associated Artworks

See all 41 artworks
The central circular vignette is surrounded by four smaller ovals. The central image shows a figure in white drapery holding a flag, standing over another figure on the ground, with the phrase "Sic Semper Tyrannis" beneath it. The horizon line shows land with a faintly visible ship in the distance. The surrounding vignettes are connected by ornate floral designs with muted tones, each labeled with names like "Drenched Springs," "Harper's Ferry," "Mount Vernon," and "Monticello." The overall color palette consists of soft sepia tones and light greens with delicate outlines. The scenes are depicted with fine detail typical of 19th-century illustrative techniques.

Title Page

Rau & Son

1858

This is a photograph of a book cover. The cover displays the title "ALBUM OF VIRGINIA" in gold embossing on a dark reddish-brown surface. Below the title, it reads "ILLUSTRATED BY ED. BEYER, 1858," in vertically stacked lines. At the bottom, it is marked "CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART." The cover features minimal wear with some scrapes and scuffs, with yellow-brown triangles on the right corners and a vertical yellow-brown stripe on the left edge.

Album of Virginia

Edward Beyer, Rau & Son, Wilhelm Loeillot

1857

The image is a collection of four illustrations titled "Album of Virginia," focusing on various views of Weyer's Cave in Augusta County, Virginia, drawn by Ed. Beyer in 1856. The top-left image shows an outdoor scene with a group of people near the cave's entrance, with a small cabin surrounded by rocks and trees. The illustration to the right, labeled "Cataract," presents an interior cave view with stalactites and stalagmites. In the bottom left, the view labeled "Shell Room" features a vast cavern with illuminated formations admired by small human figures. The bottom right, titled "Cataract," showcases another interior with a high ceiling decorated with stalactites and a group of people gesturing towards the rock formations. Each scene is intricately detailed, suggesting a careful observational style that adds to the historical and visual richness of the album.

Views of Weyers Cave

Wilhelm Loeillot

1857

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William W. Corcoran, Washington, DC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1876; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower left on stone: WRau.
text on stone:
Album of Virginia. / Taken from Nature by Ed. Beyer / Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1857 by Ed. Beyer in the Clerks Office of the District of Virginia / Rau & Son, Lith. Dresden. / View from the Peak of Otter / Bedford County Va. No. 2.

Wikidata ID

Q77260827

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