The First Harvest in the Wilderness
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Object Label
Although not a scene of the American West, this painting can be interpreted within the context of the artistic perpetuation of the notion of Manifest Destiny. Here the American wilderness yields to progress as a lone farmer reaps his first harvest in a field, still dotted with the stumps of recently cleared trees. A boulder resting by the side of the road identifies him by name as “Graham.”
Using funds bequeathed by one of its founders, Augustus Graham, the Brooklyn Museum commissioned Asher B. Durand to paint this work in 1855, thus officially establishing its collection of American art. Durand’s dramatic landscape pays tribute to Graham’s efforts as a cultural pioneer.
Caption
Asher B. Durand American, 1796–1886. The First Harvest in the Wilderness, 1855. Oil on canvas, 31 5/8 × 48 1/16 in. (80.3 × 122 cm) frame: 43 3/4 × 59 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (111.1 × 150.5 × 10.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Transferred from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to the Brooklyn Museum, 97.12. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 97.12_cropped_PS22.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
The First Harvest in the Wilderness
Date
1855
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
31 5/8 × 48 1/16 in. (80.3 × 122 cm) frame: 43 3/4 × 59 1/4 × 4 1/4 in. (111.1 × 150.5 × 10.8 cm)
Signatures
Signed lower center: "A B Durand, pt. / 1855"
Inscriptions
Inscribed on boulder, lower right: "Graham"
Credit Line
Transferred from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences to the Brooklyn Museum
Accession Number
97.12
Rights
No known copyright restrictions
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