Hall of New York

West Point, New York

West Point, New York

Artist: Unknown

Oil on Canvas, 1875

The high ridges and calm waters of the Hudson Valley have not only inspired generations of artists but also provided George Washington’s army a crucial observation post during the Revolutionary War. In 1778, the Continental Army fortified the position along the granite bluffs located near Highland, NY. That decision played a vital role during America’s struggle for independence.

Artist Info: On loan from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Hudson River at West Point

Hudson River at West Point

Andrew Melrose

Oil on Canvas, 1885

Since 1802, West Point has served as home to the United States Military Academy and is the oldest continuing operating military post in the United States.

Artist Info:

Andrew Melrose (1836-1901) was born in Scotland and moved to the United States in the 1850s to pursue a career in painting. He established a studio in Hoboken NJ, but traveled across the country extensively, from the Adirondacks to the Deep South.

On loan from NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation / Senate House State Historic Site

Clouds Over the Valley, 2009

Clouds Over the Valley, 2009

Jane Bloodgood-Abrams

Oil on Canvas

The natural beauty of the Hudson Valley inspired a mid-19th Century art movement known as “The Hudson River School.”

Artist Info:

Jane Bloodgood-Abrams (1963 - ) received her Bachelor of Studio Arts degree from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, and was inducted into the National Association of Women Artists. Her work is exhibited worldwide.

On loan from from Marist College, Hudson Valley Institute Collection

Foot of Storm King Mountain, 1880s

Foot of Storm King Mountain, 1880s

Thomas Benjamin Pope

Oil on Canvas, 1880s

Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Ridge form the Hudson River’s “Wind Gate.”

Artist Info:

Thomas Benjamin Pope (1834-1891) was born in either New York or New Jersey. He fought for the Union in the Civil War and later moved to Newburgh, New York. Pope’s scenic views are known for their tranquility and clarity.

On loan from the New York State Museum

View from Hyde Park on the Hudson River

View from Hyde Park on the Hudson River

Victor de Grailly

Oil on Canvas, 1845

Hyde Park is the birthplace of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who served as a State Senator, Governor and President of the United States.

Artist Info:

Born in Paris, Victor de Grailly (1804-1889) was a French landscape painter whose body of work includes many American views. His most well-known paintings typify European fantasies of the “New World.”

On loan from the New York Historical Society

Poughkeepsie, New York

Poughkeepsie, New York

J.M. Evans

Oil on Canvas, ca. 1870

Poughkeepsie once served as the capital of New York State and was an important Hudson River port in the 19th century for ships traveling to and from New York City.

Artist Info:

Very little is known about J.M. Evans (?-1870) other than that he was an artist active in the middle of the 19th century.

On loan from the Fenimore Art Museum

Greenwood Lake, Pastoral Scene

Greenwood Lake, Pastoral Scene

J.F. Cropsey

Oil on Canvas, 1862

In 1837, a dam was built enlarging Greenwood Lake to its current size and making it one of the earliest tourist attractions in the region.

Artist Info:

Jasper F. Cropsey (1823–1900) was an important member of the Hudson River School and a founding member the American Society of Painters in Watercolor.

On loan from the Newington-Cropsey Foundation

Hall of New York

Mid-Hudson