Oil on canvas painting by Robert Havell, Jr., circa 1845.
Havell came late to oil painting. One can see a master engraver’s attention to detail in the waves and gravel of this picture, but the grandeur of the site has inspired him to confront its magnificence. Just as one may sometimes imagine hearing birds singing when looking at an Audubon print, one may experience the roar of the falls and the cool of the mist when looking at this wonderful painting, with its ethereal rainbow.
