The American Falls

Accession Number
1983/1.285

Title
The American Falls

Artist(s)
George Barker

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
circa 1874

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
22 9/16 in x 18 1/8 in (57.3 cm x 46 cm);28 in x 22 in (71.12 cm x 55.88 cm);22 9/16 in x 18 in (57.3 cm x 45.8 cm);20 1/4 in x 16 1/16 in (51.4 cm x 40.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Marvin Felheim Collection

Subject matter
Photographed from an overlook, this photograph depicts a sideview of American Falls at Niagara looking North. In the right corner's foreground, a torrent of water surges from the right of the photograph and over the ledge. After this section of waterfall, a thin copse of trees and the hint of a structure cling to a rocky overhang, beyond which an enormous stretch of waterfall spills over the cliff. Billowing upwards, the mist of the atomized water from the thunderous cascades rises from the river below. Below, the Niagara River flows away into the distance, starkly tranquil compared to the deluge of the Falls. Exposed for the brightness of the cloudy sky and the waters’ rapids, the photograph’s other components are rendered as dark, almost silhouetted shapes. The slightly long exposure of the camera causes the water’s current in the foreground to blur as it rushes over the edge of the Falls. The amber warmth of the albumen print causes the image to glow, and lends the subject of the photograph a further sense of timeless majesty.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view of a stretch of cascading waterfalls. Beyond the falls are tree-lined riverbanks and a cloudy sky.  

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Americas
buildings
cascades (water features)
cliffs
clouds
rapids
riverbanks
rivers
trees
waterfalls
waterfalls (natural bodies of water)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted