Hudson River Landscape

The detailed rendering of this tranquil summer scene is characteristic of Hart's early work, when he was most deeply influenced by the Hudson River school of landscape painting. It was commissioned by the Lord family of Baltimore in the late 1850s, at around the time that William T. Walters was also patronizing the artist.

As child Hart emigrated from Scotland to Albany, then a rapidly expanding industrial hub. In 1852, like many of his fellow artists, he traveled to Germany's major art centers, Munich and Düsseldorf, where he completed his training. From 1857 until his death, Hart was based in New York City, and exhibited successfully in the United States and Europe.