Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
On the Potomac
(18th and 19th Centuries )
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.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Owned by Miss Margaret Hodges; given to Walters Art Museum, 1977.
Exhibitions
| 2018-2020 | Reinstallation 2018: HH 351-356 (1WMVP, Entrance Hall, Parlor, Dining Room, Charles Street Entrance). |
| 2007-2008 | Painting exchange with the Springfield Museum of Art. Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 2005-2006 | The Walters' American Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
USA (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 36 x W: 56 in. (91.5 x 142.3 cm); Framed H: 47 7/16 × W: 67 11/16 × D: 2 13/16 in. (120.5 × 172 × 7.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Miss Margaret Hodges, 1977
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2539