barometer with clock by
J. somalvico & co., london
Marked “J BANVARD” for the artist John Banvard (American; 1815-1891)
Circa 1850
Oil on canvas
35.5” x 46”
John Banvard was an early American landscape and portrait painter who specialized in panoramic landscape scenes and surviving examples of his work are extremely rare. His preference was for large views celebrating vast prospects with few figures incorporated within them. This painting is an example of his preferred style, the fisherman and the distant haymaking activity providing context for the larger view.
This suited what would become his greatest innovation – the use of large panoramic landscapes mounted on rollers to create performances in front of audiences. The 1840’s and 50’s were the heyday of this art form. The subjects were varied: military campaigns, imaginary trips to European cities, whaling voyages, etc. In 1847 he chose the Mississippi River as his topic, painting canvases that depicted a voyage down the River and titled it: Adventures of the Artist which included his own narrative of self-reliance and frontier enterprise as part of the act. This show traveled to Louisville, Boston and New York in 1848 and finally London. The canvas was three miles long. A consummate showman, Banvard’s performances were wildly popular. According to family history none of the larger canvases survive. The Minnesota Historical Society owns several of his smaller paintings and holds Banvard’s papers in their library.
Circa 1850
Oil on canvas
35.5” x 46”
John Banvard was an early American landscape and portrait painter who specialized in panoramic landscape scenes and surviving examples of his work are extremely rare. His preference was for large views celebrating vast prospects with few figures incorporated within them. This painting is an example of his preferred style, the fisherman and the distant haymaking activity providing context for the larger view.
This suited what would become his greatest innovation – the use of large panoramic landscapes mounted on rollers to create performances in front of audiences. The 1840’s and 50’s were the heyday of this art form. The subjects were varied: military campaigns, imaginary trips to European cities, whaling voyages, etc. In 1847 he chose the Mississippi River as his topic, painting canvases that depicted a voyage down the River and titled it: Adventures of the Artist which included his own narrative of self-reliance and frontier enterprise as part of the act. This show traveled to Louisville, Boston and New York in 1848 and finally London. The canvas was three miles long. A consummate showman, Banvard’s performances were wildly popular. According to family history none of the larger canvases survive. The Minnesota Historical Society owns several of his smaller paintings and holds Banvard’s papers in their library.