The Matterhorn

The jagged, snow-capped peak of the Swiss mountain the Matterhorn grandly looming over a valley of finely detailed pine trees is characteristic of the widely popular landscapes by Albert Bierstadt.The artist executed this scene while spending two years enjoying celebrity in Europe.

During the late 19th century, Bierstadt became famous for his images of the American West, to which he journeyed as part of survey expeditions in 1859 and 1863. Based on firsthand experience but completed with a certain amount of tweaking in the studio, Bierstadt's dramatic landscapes thrilled Eastern U.S. and European audiences hungry for depictions of unfamiliar places.