American School, 19th Century View of the Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia.

Description:

American School, 19th Century

View of the Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Unsigned. Oil on canvas, 20 x 15 1/4 in., unframed. Condition: Small patch u.l., retouch.

Note: The Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia is a geological formation in which Cedar Creek, a small tributary of the James River, has carved out a gorge of the limestone mountainous terrain, forming an arch 215 feet high with a span of 90 feet. Thomas Jefferson purchased the Natural Bridge and the land surrounding it from King George III of England in 1774. Jefferson built a two-room log cabin, with one room reserved for guests, beginning its use as a retreat and which Europeans visited during the 18th and 19th centuries. In Picturesque America, William Cullen Bryant stated that the Falls of Niagara and the Natural Bridge are justly esteemed the most remarkable curiosities in North America.
Estimate $2,500-3,500

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