Gorge of the St. Croix 1847

Henry Lewis painted this landscape of the St. Croix River, a waterway that defines the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, at a time of significant westward expansion. Born in England, Lewis emigrated to the United States as a child. He spent much of his adult life working as an artist in the Midwest. Here, Lewis offers us a glimpse into the commercial and recreational life that unfolded along this vital river. But this image exists in a more complex historical context; the landscape is not simply an untouched wilderness. With the advent of steamboats, places like the St. Croix became sites of contested space, between those who profited from the river’s resources and the Indigenous communities whose ancestral lands were being transformed. While the painting presents a serene view, it's important to consider the narratives that are not immediately visible – stories of displacement, exploitation, and cultural erasure. This painting invites us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are left out of the landscape.