Moffat's Creek, Rockbridge County, Va.

Artist Unknown

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1825

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions15 3/4 × 23 1/4 in. (40 × 59.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 20 × 26 3/4 × 1 1/8 in. (50.8 × 67.9 × 2.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch

Object number80.181.8

Not on view

DescriptionOil on canvas painting of Moffat's Creek, Rockbridge County, VA. The large brick building with a cupola and portico may be Liberty Hall Academy, the forerunner of today’s Washington and Lee University.
Label TextDana Smith American, 1805–1901 Manchester-Concord, New Hampshire, ca. 1880 Oil on board Moffat's Creek, Rockbridge County, Virginia, ca. 1825 American Oil on canvas Many early American painters first studied drawing to pursue careers as surveyors and military mapmakers. As seen on the left, New Hampshire artist Dana Smith embellished his map paintings with details of factories, fences, and haystacks. The view of Moffat’s Creek on the right offers an even more precise record of topography and architecture, though its location remains unclear. The large brick building with a cupola and portico may be Liberty Hall Academy, the forerunner of today’s Washington and Lee University. Gifts of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch 78.633.7 and 80.181.8 ProvenanceGift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch to Chrysler Museum of Art, 1980.Exhibition History"Democratic Designs: American Folk Paintings from the Chrysler Museum," Willoughby-Baylor House, Norfolk, VA, August 16, 2014 - April 5, 2015. “The Art Experience 2.0: Do What You Love in Virginia,” Virginia Governor’s Executive Mansion, Richmond, VA, August 16, 2023 – August 31, 2024.Published ReferencesJohn Powell, _Symphony in A Major "Virginia Symphony" and Shenandoah_, Cond. JoAnn Falletta (Albany Records, Troy 589), 2003, illustrated on the front and back cover of the album and the compact disc.