On the Potomac
William Louis Sonntag1850
The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States
Sonntag depicted idealized views of nature not yet affected by human development. This work dates from early in his career, when he was exploring the Potomac and Ohio Rivers for subjects.
Sonntag began his career as a traveling landscape painter working in the Midwest. In 1846, after receiving a contract from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to record the landscapes along the rail routes, he began to enjoy a growing clientele. With the proceeds from his sales, he traveled abroad, visiting Italy in 1853 and again in 1855. In Sonntag's later works, the rendering of light and atmosphere becomes subtler, reflecting an awareness of trends in contemporary European painting.
- Title: On the Potomac
- Creator: William Louis Sonntag (American, 1822-1900)
- Date Created: 1850
- External Link: For more information about this and thousands of other works of art in the Walters Art Museum collection, please visit art.thewalters.org
- Roles: Artist: William Louis Sonntag (American, 1822-1900)
- Provenance: Owned by Miss Margaret Hodges; given to Walters Art Museum, 1977.
- Object Type: paintings
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Inscriptions: [Signature] lower left: W.L. Sonntag
- Exhibitions: Painting exchange with the Springfield Museum of Art. Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2007-2008., The Walters' American Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2005-2006.
- Dimensions: H: 36 x W: 56 in. (91.5 x 142.3 cm); Framed H: 47 1/2 x W: 67 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (120.7 x 171.5 x 8.3 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Miss Margaret Hodges, 1977
- Classification: Painting & Drawing
- Accession Number: 37.2539
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