Niagara Falls, From Below
Artist
George Barker
(American, 1844-1894)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1888
MediumAlbumen print from glass negative on original mount
DimensionsOverall, Image: 21 × 16 3/4 in. (53.3 × 42.5 cm)
Overall: 28 × 24 in. (71.1 × 61 cm)
InscribedStudio stamp on reverse with 1886 Gold Medal St. Louis copyright 1888
Credit LineMuseum purchase and gift of Christina and Dr. George Kemp
Object number98.10
Label TextGeorge Barker
American, b. Canada, 1844-1894
Niagara Falls, From Below, ca. 1888
Albumen print (photograph) from a glass negative
George Barker’s spectacular images of Niagara established him as the leading photographer of the falls in the 1880s. Amid fierce competition from rival studios and amateur photographers, Barker worked to dramatize his images, as seen here. Notice how he emphasized scale, darkened the sky, and heightened the contrast between the white water and black rocks, which he often painted in by hand. Barker’s dazzling images also helped conservation efforts. After his prints illustrated a scientific report about the industrial threats to the falls, legislators inaugurated Niagara Reservation as New York’s first state park in 1885.
Museum purchase and gift of Christina and Dr. George Kemp 98.10
Exhibition History"History of Photography," Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va, Fall, 2001.
"New Light on Land: Photographs from the Chrysler Collection," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, January 28 - May 15, 2016.
