The Life and Art of
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Samuel Lancaster Gerry (1813–91)
Attributed to Benjamin Champney (1817–1907)
August 23, 1878
Pencil on paper (4 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.)
Collection of G. Warren Schomaker
When Gerry first visited the White Mountains in the mid-1830s, travel conditions were rough. He later commented that a visit to Mount Washington then was “almost as much of an undertaking as going to Europe.” By the 1850s dozens of artists were visiting New Hampshire. Their easels and white umbrellas were familiar sights for visitors in the region. This informal sketch of Gerry at work, drawn by his friend and fellow artist Benjamin Champney, captured the spirit of en plein air painting that was so popular among White Mountain artists.
