Waterfall of Niagara

Dateca. 1770

Engraver Robert Hancock (1731-1817)

Publisher Robert Sayer (1725-1794)

OriginEngland, London

MediumEtching and line engraving on laid paper with period hand color

DimensionsOverall: 12 3/4 × 18 1/2in. (32.4 × 47cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1953-207

DescriptionUpper margin reads: "Printed for Rob.t Sayer in Fleet Street./ 89"
Lower margin reads: "R Hancock fecit/ The Water-fall of Niagara - This most surprizing Cataract of Nature is 137 feet high/ & its breadth about 360 Yards. The Island in the middle is about 420 Yards long and 40 Yards broad at its lower End. The Water/ on its approaching the said Island becomes so rapid as almost to exceed an Arrow in swiftness till it comes to the Fall;/ where it rescends into the Air, foaming as white as Milk, & all in Motion like a boiling Cauldron. Its Noise may be heard 15 leagues off, & in calm Weather, its Vapours rise a great hight into the Air, & may be seen like Smoak at 30 Miles distance./ in North America./ La Cascade de Niagara - Cette Surprenante Chute d'Eau est haute de 137 Pieds, et large d'environ/ 366 Verges L'Isle qui est dans le millieu a 420 Verges de Longueur; Sur 40 de Largeur sur sa fin L'Eau, en approchant/ la ditte Isles devient si rapide qu'elle L'emporte presque sur la Vivacite d'une Fleche, jus qu'a cequelle
Label TextNiagara Falls was first seen by Europeans in the late 17th century. Unequalled by any waterfall in Europe, Niagara’s power over the human imagination became an important symbol of the sublime aesthetic in America. In the lower left, an American Indian guide gestures towards the falls. Among the viewers are two monks, likely symbolizing the great force of nature created by the hand of God. Views of Niagara, published throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, were often incorporated in the decorative elements on maps of America.