Niagara gripped the imagination of not only travellers and writers, but also of engineers and entrepreneurs. Many of these “envisioned the fall’s industrial and economic potential as limitless” and “they imagined a colossal, utopian future that would inevitably result from the relentless human drive to subdue and transform nature.” (McGreevy) In his book Imagining Niagara … Continue reading Niagara as a Focus for the Future
Category: Niagara Falls
Niagara, The Table Rock – Winter, 1847
As determined as any of the artists of his day to paint the definitive representation of Niagara, Regis painted many views of the falls. According to Adamson, the artist's Niagara, The Table Rock – Winter from 1847 was one of the earliest ambitious winter portrayals. The composition is a conventional view, which Regis individualises by presenting the … Continue reading Niagara, The Table Rock – Winter, 1847
Nature’s Grandest Scene in Art
From 1760-1900 Niagara Falls was the most frequently described and depicted natural wonder in North America, appearing not only in paintings and engravings, but also in more unusual contexts, such as on dinnerware, wallpaper, sheet music and lamp shades. Although they were a spectacular sight, the falls' overwhelming popularity can be explained by the way … Continue reading Nature’s Grandest Scene in Art
Imagining Niagara
There are three entities that go by the name "Niagara Falls":- the falls themselves and the two towns of Niagara Falls - one in New York State and one in Ontario. The falls themselves are comprised of three waterfalls: the American Falls and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls are on the American side, separated by … Continue reading Imagining Niagara
Niagara Falls, 1855
This painting by Regis of Niagara Falls, now in the High Museum in Atlanta, provided the inspiration for our visit to the falls and will be the starting point for Alan's creative response to this location. It is a delicately coloured summertime view of the falls with little sign of human intervention aside from the … Continue reading Niagara Falls, 1855
“Human Accumulations”
Our project takes its title from a quotation from H. G. Wells, the renowned English writer. When the father of science fiction visited Niagara Falls, foremost symbol of the New World’s limitless potential, he commented, “the real interest of Niagara Falls for me was not in the waterfall but the human accumulations about it for … Continue reading “Human Accumulations”
Human Accumulations 