[View of Niagara Falls] (Open Case)
Additional views
- Title:
- [View of Niagara Falls] (Open Case)
- Collection:
- Introduction to Photography Collections at Cornell
- Set:
- History of photography
- Creator:
- Unknown
- Creation Date:
- ca. 1860
- ID Number:
- 85.051.2ndview
- File Name:
- 85.051.2ndview.jpg
- Work Type:
- Photograph
- Materials/Techniques:
- ambrotypes (photographs)
whole plate
cased photographs - Subject:
- Commercial photography
group portraits
Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.) - Measurement:
- 18.6 x 23.7 x 3 (centimeters, height x width x depth)
- Description:
- Tourists pose on a grassy spot with the Niagara River and Niagara Falls behind them. The falls are in the upper half of the image, an almost white rectangle with trees and buildings beyond, and spray visible as a hazy distortion on the rocks to either side. The five tourists are posed casually around a bench, a woman sits at either end, while another stands in the middle. Two men stand near one end. All of the tourists are light skinned and dressed formally, the women wear long cloaks and spreading skirts, the men wear light colored slacks and dark jackets, all wear hats and gloves. One of the men is looking at the camera but the others are all looking in other directions, none at the falls. The photograph is cased, the second image shows it with case open: the photo is in an ocher-colored mat with rounded corners, and has a floral velvet pad. The third image is the face of the case, it's a dark thermoplastic that is highly decorated, with a central scene interpreting John Vanderlyn’s Landing of Columbus and a floral border that includes a European ship at the top and a canoe at the bottom.
- Notes:
- One of several ambrotypes of Niagara Falls held atthe Herbert F. Johnson Museum, as well as stereoviews and other cased objects depicting the popular travel destination.
- Cite As:
- Unidentified photographer, [View of Niagara Falls], ca. 1860. Ambrotype, overall (whole plate): 18.6 x 23.7 x 3 cm. Gift of Noyes Huston, Class of 1932, 85.051.
- Repository:
- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The copyright status and copyright owners of most of the images in the Mellon Teaching Sets Collection are unknown. Whenever possible, information on current rights owners is included with the image. Digitization took place at varied times from items held at Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in service of a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Cornell is providing access to low-resolution, non-downloadable versions of the materials as a digital aggregate under an assertion of fair use for non-commercial research and educational use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. For more information about these volumes, please contact the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at museum@cornell.edu. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.