American Scene c. 1832 - 1835

Thomas Leeson Rowbotham created this watercolor on paper titled "American Scene," sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It depicts two figures in the foreground gazing at an expansive mountain vista. This work reflects the period's fascination with the sublime, a concept popularized by thinkers like Edmund Burke. The sublime emphasized the awe and terror one feels when confronted with nature's immense power. Rowbotham's use of dramatic lighting and towering mountains evokes this very feeling. But why "American Scene" when Rowbotham was British? Perhaps this speaks to the burgeoning romanticization of the American landscape in the European imagination, fueled by exploration and the promise of the New World. As historians, we can delve into travel literature, political pamphlets, and other cultural artifacts to understand the complex ways in which America was perceived abroad and in the country. The meaning of art, as we see, is deeply enmeshed with its social and institutional contexts.