{"id":3958,"date":"2025-03-12T16:02:28","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T20:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/?p=3958"},"modified":"2025-03-24T16:48:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T20:48:04","slug":"john-frederick-kensett-a-view-of-niagara-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/john-frederick-kensett-a-view-of-niagara-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"John Frederick Kensett A View of Niagara Falls"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16{max-width:100%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-dir-horizontal:not(.kb-section-md-dir-vertical)>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;max-width:unset;margin-left:unset;margin-right:unset;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16{position:relative;}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-dir-horizontal>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;max-width:unset;margin-left:unset;margin-right:unset;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-column.kb-section-sm-dir-vertical:not(.kb-section-sm-dir-horizontal):not(.kb-section-sm-dir-specificity)>.kt-inside-inner-col>.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16{max-width:100%;-webkit-flex:1;flex:1;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;}.kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column3958_a64b4a-16 mobile-section\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"774\" height=\"114\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo.png\" alt=\"Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection\" class=\"wp-image-2922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo.png 774w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo-300x44.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/lynch-logo-768x113.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_1e4cbd-56 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_1e4cbd-56 .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#f1f1f1;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_1e4cbd-56 .kt-divider{width:100%!important;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-3958_1e4cbd-56\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>John Frederick Kensett (1816\u201372)<\/strong><br><em>A View of Niagara Falls<\/em>, 1854<br><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oil on canvas<br>McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Gift of Alexandria &amp; Michael N. Altman P\u201922, \u201924, \u201926 in recognition of a life of service to Boston College by William M. &amp; Alison S. Vareika \u201974, P\u201909, \u201915, LP\u201916 on the occasion of William\u2019s Fiftieth Boston College Reunion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1227\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra3.jpg\" alt=\"A View of Niagara Falls\" class=\"wp-image-3959\" style=\"width:1202px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra3.jpg 1227w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra3-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra3-1024x801.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra3-768x601.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1227px) 100vw, 1227px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"background-color:#f1f1f1\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><strong><strong><strong><strong>Oliver Wunsch<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><br>Assistant Professor, Art History<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/wunsch-4.jpg\" alt=\"Oliver Wunsch\" class=\"wp-image-3960\" style=\"width:78px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/wunsch-4.jpg 200w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/wunsch-4-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-1024x474.jpg\" alt=\"Niagara\" class=\"wp-image-3961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-1024x474.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-768x356.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-1536x712.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/church-niagra-2048x949.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Frederic Edwin Church,&nbsp;<em>Niagara<\/em>, 1857. Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"701\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra-1024x701.jpg\" alt=\"Niagara Falls\" class=\"wp-image-3962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra-1024x701.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra-768x525.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/03\/kensett-niagra.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Frederick Kensett,&nbsp;<em>Niagara Falls<\/em>, c. 1852\u201354. Oil on canvas, White House Collection, Washington, DC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>Shortly after John Frederick Kensett died in 1872, a writer in the&nbsp;<em>Nation<\/em>&nbsp;recalled that the painter had taken an unusual approach to dramatic subject matter: \u201cSuch a subject as Niagara the artist treats without forsaking his calm, like a cultured elocutionist who declaims the most impassioned text, never losing his high-bred balance.\u201d<sup>1<\/sup>&nbsp;The comment is a useful introduction to this strangely distant view of Niagara Falls. Other painters from the time such as Frederic Edwin Church (1826\u20131900) highlighted the waterfall\u2019s violent force, sometimes adopting a vantage point terrifyingly close to the precipice (see photo). Kensett, by contrast, presented a comparatively tranquil view of the waters from a protected position far downstream. The decision was consistent with Kensett\u2019s reputation for \u201ccalm\u201d in both his personal affect and pictorial style.<sup>2<\/sup>&nbsp;Today, we might say that \u201ccalm\u201d was Kensett\u2019s \u201cbrand.\u201d But if calm was a brand, it was a paradoxical marketing technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For audiences in the mid-nineteenth century, the quiet repose of Kensett\u2019s work was the opposite of commercial, offering an antidote to the crass sensationalism of popular spectacle. Few subjects at the time were more associated with downmarket entertainment than the rushing waters of Niagara Falls\u2014in 1853, a 1600-foot moving panorama of the Falls went on display in New York City, attracting mass audiences.<sup>3<\/sup>&nbsp;Kensett pointedly resisted such bombast, foregrounding the gentle waves that lap at the rocky shores of the Niagara River while displacing the Falls themselves to the background, their crashing tumult veiled behind a misty haze. At a time when art collectors wished to separate their tastes from the supposedly coarse proclivities of the mass market, such aesthetic understatement became an important sign of cultural and social distinction. The critic who compared Kensett to an elocutionist who never loses \u201chis high-bred balance\u201d makes explicit the association between calm and social class. For Kensett, the approach paid dividends. No less noble a personage than Francis Egerton, first Earl of Ellesmere, purchased a nearly identical version of this painting in 1854 (see image; it is now in the collection of the White House).<sup>4<\/sup>&nbsp;Ellesmere paid $500 for the work, the second highest price that any Kensett painting had garnered to that date. Anti-commercialism, it seems, had a commercial appeal.<br><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-divider ub_divider ub-divider-orientation-horizontal\" id=\"ub_divider_4c582511-d99d-441b-b7ce-84ef9c3045a1\"><div class=\"ub_divider_wrapper\" style=\"position: relative; margin-bottom: 2px; width: 100%; height: 2px; \" data-divider-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"ub_divider_line\" style=\"border-top: 2px solid #ccc; margin-top: 2px; \"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>1. \u201cThe Kensett Relics,\u201d&nbsp;<em>Nation<\/em>, Mar. 20, 1873, 204.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Melissa Geisler Trafton,&nbsp;<em>Critics, Collectors, and the Nineteenth-Century Taste for the Paintings of John Frederick Kensett<\/em>&nbsp;(Berkeley: University of California, Press, 2003), 244\u201374.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Joseph Earl Arrington, \u201cGodfrey N. Frankenstein\u2019s Moving Panorama of Niagara Falls,\u201d&nbsp;<em>New York History<\/em>&nbsp;49, no. 2 (1968): 169\u201399.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. John Paul Driscoll, \u201cFrom Burin to Brush: The Development of a Painter,\u201d in&nbsp;<em>John Frederick Kensett: An American Master<\/em>, ed. Susan E. Strickler (New York: Worcester Art Museum in association with Norton, 1985) 90; William Kloss,&nbsp;<em>Art in the White House: A Nation\u2019s Pride<\/em>&nbsp;(Washington, DC\u202f: White House Historical Association, 1992), 108\u20139.<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_0d87c2-dd .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_0d87c2-dd .kt-divider{border-top-width:1px;height:1px;border-top-color:#f1f1f1;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-3958_0d87c2-dd .kt-divider{width:100%!important;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-3958_0d87c2-dd\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\" \/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"383\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-1024x383.png\" alt=\"Logo Gold\" class=\"wp-image-2910\" style=\"width:569px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-1024x383.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-300x112.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold-768x287.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2025\/01\/mcmullen-logo-gold.png 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Frederick Kensett (1816\u201372)A View of Niagara Falls, 1854 Oil on canvasMcMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Gift of Alexandria &amp; Michael N. Altman P\u201922, \u201924, \u201926 in recognition of a life of service to Boston College by William M. &amp; Alison S. Vareika \u201974, P\u201909, \u201915, LP\u201916 on the occasion of William\u2019s Fiftieth Boston [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140560,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"margaret-sandbox","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/author\/margaret-sandbox\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3958"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4436,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3958\/revisions\/4436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bc.edu\/museum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}