Painting

Title:

Mount Kearsarge From Rattlesnake Hill, Concord, NH

Object Name:

Painting

Object ID:

2023.033

Creator:

Wolcott, Josiah (1814-1885) -- Artist

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

1859

Description:

Painting. Mt. Kiarsarge From Rattlesnake Hill, Concord, NH, 1859, by Josiah Wolcott (1814-1885), oil on canvas. Signed and date "J Wolcott 1859" lower right. Signed, titled, and dated verso. Gilded wood frame. This 1859 painting offers a detailed look at New Hampshire's antebellum landscape. In 1860 77.9% of the population lived in rural areas. The state was home to some 30,000 farms, with an average size of 123 acres. Farming would begin to decline in the state in the early 20th century, but in 1859 it was flourishing. The boulders in the foreground allude to Rattlesnake Hill's status as a source for granite since the settlement of Concord. Boulders on the surface supplied stone for the New Hampshire Prison in 1812 and the State House from 1816 to 1819, with below-ground quarrying following soon after. The pasture with cows and sheep in the foreground looks northwest over Penacook Lake and then to hillsides cleared and divided into pasture and fields. At this time three-quarters of the land in New Hampshire was cleared for agriculture. On the horizon rises Mt. Kearsarge, while off to the right appears to be Ragged Mountain.

Material:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

H-18 W-24 inches

Provenance:

Sold at Northeast Auctions in 2016.
Exhibited at the Currier Museum of Art in 1960.

Credit Line:

Gift of William W. Upton

People:

Wolcott, Josiah (1814-1885)

Subjects:

Granite quarrying, Agriculture