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Nineteenth-Century Views of New Haven and Its Sentinels
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24 | New Haven’s Sentinels 13. A panoramic view of New Haven and part of the Harbour, 1786. Published by Daniel Bowen as the masthead of The New Haven Chronicle. The New Haven Museum & Historical Society. This early print of New Haven provides evidence of its role as an important Connecticut coastal harbor. East Rock was clearly considered more important than West Rock,probably because of its proximity to the town.The major spires represent from west to east:Trinity Church,Yale College Chapel, Connecticut Hall,the State House,Brick Meetinghouse and Fair Haven Church. Nineteenth-Century Views of New Haven and Its Sentinels Beyond, are sacred spires, and clustering roofs, And on the horizon’s edge, yon rude, grey rocks, Like two time-tried and trusty sentinels, Which toward the orient and the setting sun Keep watch and ward Lydia Howard Sigourney, 1844 New Haven’s many church spires appear prominently on the masthead of the eighteenth-century New Haven Chronicle (Image 13). This woodcut includes one of the earliest portrayals of East Rock, but the church spires conspicuously reach much closer to heaven. Lydia Howard Sigourney’s sightings can be appreciated by looking at various nineteenth-century prints and paintings of the city. The best views were obtained Landscape Painting in the Nineteeth Century | 25 A. 14A. David C.Hinman, New Haven, from the South East, ca. 1849. The New Haven Museum & Historical Society. from sites on the hills of East Haven and Fairhaven. From there admirers could see New Haven, the highest of the Four Rocks, and the shoreline’s full splendor—before railroads and highways severely despoiled the bayside (Images 14A, B and C). The earliest print with a southeast view of New Haven from the East Haven shore was made by John Warner Barber and appeared in his booklet Views in New Haven and Its Vicinity, in 1825. Barber’s print (Image 8) shows New Haven’s Long Wharf, clogged with moored sailing vessels and the steep southern flanks of both East Rock and West Rock. George Durrie painted an attractive oil (Image 15) rendering his view from Ferry Hill circa 1849. In the foreground, a farmer’s wife and daughter are walking down hill en route to milk their cows. New Haven appears mostly as a group of church spires set against the massive shape of West Rock. East Rock is closer by and is shown in more detail with its lower scree zone and upper rows of columnar basalt. [3.129.247.196] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 05:07 GMT) 26 | New Haven’s Sentinels Around 1880, Robert Havell, the famous artist who engraved James Audubon’s Birds of America folio, produced a panorama (Images 16A and B) that extends farther east and west than most previous works. In the east it shows Indian Head leaning against East Rock and westward the blue hills of the highlands. A steamboat lies ready in the harbor to carry passengers to New York, Boston or Hartford. Sweeping views of New Haven were obtained from East Rock and Indian Head, its neighbor (See Gallery One). Darrow’s 1876 panorama (Image 18) is the most expansive, but pays more attention to sky than city. Griswold’s 1874 painting of a hunter emerging from the notch between East Rock and Indian Head shows the heavily wooded hillside, while Weir’s (1901) view (Images 19 and 20) shows the rocky scarp and industrialized city with more smokestacks than church spires. Besides these panoramas, a few paintings exist that show views of East Rock as seen from the New Haven Green. Rossiter’s 1850 canvas (Image 22) shows a family lounging on the terrace of one of the buildings overlooking the lawn. East Rock appears on the horizon. Hassam painted the New Haven Green in 1909 (Image 21) with East Rock towering above the buildings along its eastern side. • Landscape Painting in the Nineteeth Century | 27 14B. Benjamin F.Smith, New Haven, Connecticut from Ferry Hill, 1849. Yale University Art Gallery. 14C. C.Kelsey, New Haven, from Ferry Hill, 1853. The New Haven Museum & Historical Society. These panoramas are typical for New Haven in the mid nineteenth century.Note the outline of the Sleeping Giant on the horizon in Kelsey’s work. B. C. ...