Weekhawken 1833

Asher Brown Durand created this engraving of Weekhawken, New York, during a time of significant territorial expansion and the formation of national identity in the United States. Durand, associated with the Hudson River School, often depicted landscapes that reflected the Romanticism of the era. But landscape wasn’t neutral. It was caught up in the cultural and political beliefs tied to the idea of Manifest Destiny. Durand’s images participate in the construction of an American identity rooted in the land. They evoke an emotional connection to nature, while tacitly endorsing a narrative of rightful ownership and expansion. But for whom was this ownership and expansion? Consider what is not represented here – the indigenous populations who were displaced. As you view the scene, think about how landscape art can be both a celebration of natural beauty and a subtle assertion of cultural and political power. These images ask us to reflect on whose stories are told, and whose are left out.