Bolling's Dam, Petersburgh, Virginia

1821

John Hill, after Joshua Shaw

Associated Names
John Hill

Artist, American, born England, 1770 - 1850

M. Carey & Son

Publisher

Joshua Shaw

Artist After, American, born England, 1776 - 1860

The image shows Bolling's Dam in Petersburg, Virginia. The viewer is positioned slightly above the river, looking across the water cascading over the dam. Close to us, the river flows over rocks with subtle movements. To the right are rocks, vegetation, and trees. The horizon shows buildings, including a central industrial structure. The sky above is filled with clouds in soft strokes, conveying depth and atmosphere. The color palette consists of muted greens, earth tones, and grays.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    hand-colored engraving and aquatint on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Mary E. Maxwell Fund)

  • Dimensions

    image: 24.61 × 34.29 cm (9 11/16 × 13 1/2 in.)
    plate: 30.16 × 38.42 cm (11 7/8 × 15 1/8 in.)
    sheet: 34.45 × 52.55 cm (13 9/16 × 20 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.995

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Koke 1961, no. 54, i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Goodspeed's Book Shop, Boston, Massachusetts); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1961; 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

1981

  • Early America on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1750-1850, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981

Bibliography

1821

  • Shaw, Joshua, and John Hill. Picturesque Views of American Scenery. Philadelphia, PA: M. Carey and Son, 1821, no. 18.

1961

  • Koke, Richard J. A Checklist of the American Engravings of John Hill (1770-1850), Master of Aquatint: Together with a List of Prints Colored by Him and a List of His Extant Original Drawings. New York: New York Historical Society, 1961, pp. 24-25, no. 54, i/ii.

Inscriptions

lower right corner in graphite by unknown hand: mt x x / 35.00
text at bottom in plate:
Painted by J. Shaw. / Engraved by J. Hill. / Bolling's Dam, Petersburgh, Virginia. / Published by M. Carey & Son Philadelphia.

Wikidata ID

Q77008970

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