Hudson Valley Gingerbread Cottage and Landscape with House [recto] 

John Marin created this pencil drawing, "Hudson Valley Gingerbread Cottage and Landscape with House," on paper. Marin was part of the circle of artists who gathered around Alfred Stieglitz's gallery, and he shared with Stieglitz a desire to represent the United States in new and modern terms. In the early twentieth century, Marin, along with many artists, spent time in the Hudson River Valley. This region had long been associated with an idealized vision of America's natural beauty, and in the nineteenth century, the Hudson River School of painters had created romantic images of the area's landscape. However, by the time Marin began drawing and painting there, industrialization and urbanization were changing the face of the valley. Marin's sketch reflects this shift, capturing the quaint charm of a gingerbread cottage. Art historians can consult maps, census records, and local histories to reconstruct the changing social landscape of this region. By doing this, we understand how Marin both participated in and departed from the artistic traditions that preceded him.