Fort Edward (#10) from the Hudson River Portfolio

The 20 engravings from The Hudson River Portfolio are touchstones for depictions of the river just before the emergence of the Hudson River School. The scenes reflect English concepts of the picturesque, but many also have horizontal compositions comparable to panoramas. Megary published the views in sets of four, engraved and hand-painted by John Hill and with text by John Agg, a journalist and poet. Agg’s descriptions are as much about the places — their history and current development — as about the illustrations.