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Jean-François Millet
Peasant Spreading Manure
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Jasper Francis Cropsey
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
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Frederick Carl Frieseke
The Garden Parasol
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John James Audubon
Page from The Birds of America
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Roman
Aphrodite of Cyrene
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Focus Works of Art
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire
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Jasper Francis Cropsey
(American, 1823 - 1900)
Eagle Cliff, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire,
1858 |
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Jasper Crospey paints a rugged view of pioneer life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This frontier family appears to have recently claimed the wilderness as their home. A newly laid corduroy, or log road, leads our eye into the picture, back toward a log cabin, young crops and grazing livestock. These rustic elements shelter and sustain the family in this challenging environment. In the foreground the settler stands talking with an Indian, whose presence underscores the wildness of the scene. Two children approach with lunch basket and books - are they on their way to school? In the doorway of the cabin, the mother waits on a girl returning with fresh water from the nearby river, while a younger child plays with chicks in the yard. Only the two dead trees near the house and the dark mountains hint at the harsh reality of this calm and happy scene.
Did Cropsey ever visit this area?
Jasper Cropsey was a part of the Hudson River School, a group of painters living in New York City in the mid-nineteenth century who celebrated the American landscape as a symbol of the young Republic's beauty, strength, and boundless opportunities. Like many painters from this school, Cropsey made summer treks through the northeastern United States, looking for fresh subjects for paintings. He made several trips into the White Mountains, filling sketchbooks with carefully observed drawings of the scenery. A few years later, while living in far off London, Cropsey used those drawings to create this painting, probably for an exhibition and sale in England. This idealized view of a frontier settlement was attractive to British patrons, most of whom had never visited New England.
Where is Franconia Notch, New Hampshire?
Franconia Notch is located in the heart of what is now the White Mountains National Forest. During the nineteenth century, this mountain pass was a favorite of landscape painters. Eagle Cliff is a well-known landmark in the region. If you look closely at the granite cliff in Cropsey's painting, you can spot the form of an eagle's head and beak hovering over the settlers' cabin. What might this association suggest?
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Below are suggestions for using the Focus Work of Art with students in the classroom. The activity and discussion ideas are listed in order of difficulty. The activity instructions and italicized discussion questions may be presented directly to students. The icons below each suggestion note the related subject area(s). Click on each icon to determine which subject area it represents. Browse the thematic Lesson Plans for more ideas on how to use this work of art and theme in the classroom. |
- Food Sources
What kinds of food are these settlers growing? What are some other sources of food they might find in this area? Consider the differences between the way these settlers obtain food and the way we obtain food. Do you grow any type of food at your home? Plant some pumpkin or lettuce seeds and chart their growth. After you harvest the vegetables, go back to the painting and reconsider the settlers' dependence on the land and how it feels to wait for food to mature.
 
- Children's Chores
Consider the activities of the children in the painting. What kinds of duties do you think these children were given? How do you contribute to your family's daily responsibilities? How is their life different from yours? List these differences in chart form. Consider why children's responsibilities have changed over time.
- The White Mountains
Look closely at the painting and list the physical features of this area of the White Mountains. Visit Franconia State Park or White Mountain National Forest. Compare photographs of the region today with Cropsey's painting. Consider how civilization has changed the area in positive and negative ways. Analyze how the landforms have changed over time. Predict how this area might look in another hundred years.
- The Hudson River School
Click here to read excerpts from Cole's "Essay on American Scenery". Compare his words with his painting Romantic Landscape. What do these works tell you about this artist and the fundamental principles of the Hudson River school? Write a motto for this art movement based on these principles.
 
- Natural Preservation
Hudson River school paintings promoted the preservation of America's natural resources. Compare Cropsey's painting with works by Ansel Adams, a photographer who also loved our land. For more information on this artist, visit PBS.org. How do both of these artists promote natural preservation?
- Land as Symbol
Discuss how the land is a symbol of America's prosperity. Define the phrase Manifest Destiny and consider the way this painting supports that view.
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