Joseph Hidley (1830-1872) Lived/Active: New York

The Narrows from Fort Hamilton
Unsigned, ca. 1860-1865
Oil on canvas
14″ x 20″, 21″ x 27″ (frame)
Over-all in great condition, lined.

Provenance: Mitch Jennings, Greenwich, Connecticut.

Like so many other Hudson River School painters, Joseph Hidley most likely derived this painting from William Bartlett’s lithograph, “The Narrows, From Fort Hamilton.” This picturesque scene depicts viewers from Staten Island looking out over the Narrows to Fort Lafayette and Fort Hamilton flying the American flag. As a self-taught, itinerate artist, Hidley only became known after his death. The Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh created awareness of his work through an exhibition in 1941. Now widely known, the artist’s paintings can be viewed at prominent museums and institutions, such as The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Williamsburg, Virginia.