Waterfall

John Frederick Kensett was one of the great 19th century American landscape painters and a member of the Hudson River School. Originially from Connecticut, he worked as an engraver before studying painting in Europe. Kensett became a leader in the American art scene upon his return. He served as president of the Artists' Fund Society and participated in several prominent committees, including one that advised the decorating of the U.S. Capitol and another that helped found the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kensett was a friend of Longfellow's and spent time with him at the poet's summer home in Nahant, just north of Boston. Waterfalls were a favorite subject of the artist.

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Cambridge, Massachusetts