View of Hoboken Taken from the Ferry 1835 - 1838

Nicolino Calyo made this watercolor work on paper, "View of Hoboken Taken from the Ferry," in nineteenth-century America. Here, Calyo is mediating between two eras, that of pre-industrial nature and a world increasingly shaped by new technologies. On the left, we see the dense foliage of a tree-lined park, where fashionably dressed figures stroll. Yet, on the right, the scene is dominated by the smoking chimney of a factory. A steamboat churning across the river bears the name "Hoboken," connecting these landscapes. Calyo’s scene implies a close relationship between industrial expansion, the growth of leisure spaces, and the institutions of the art world. Wealth generated in the city made possible the patronage of landscape painters, whose work might then hang in urban galleries. To truly understand a work like this, the art historian uses a variety of sources. We research patronage networks, exhibition histories, and other documents to better understand the complex relationships between art and society.