Whittredge first established himself as an accomplished landscape artist in the style of Asher B. Durand, who found merit in his early Cincinnati vistas. Like the other artists associated with the Hudson River School, Whittredge increasingly embraced the kind of naturalistic detail based on first-hand observation found here. Our painting was selected by Whittredge for exhibition at the National Academy of Design, where it met with favorable reviews.

By contrast, the earlier painting of Peconic Bay on view nearby, reflects the artist’s experimentation with so-called Luminism, popular during the 1850s. Luminist artists like John Frederick Kensett, also on view in this gallery, concentrated on capturing ethereal lighting effects and tranquil scenery through a suppression of visible brushstrokes.