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The Caves
Object Details
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Date
1869
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Object Type
Paintings
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Medium
Oil on canvas
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Dimensions
36 x 30 3/4 in.
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Inscriptions
Recto:
signed l.l. in red pigment: .Duncanson. \ 1869
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Credit Line
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
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Accession Number
2012.8
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Copyright
Public domain
Object Description
During his lifetime, Duncanson, a self-taught Black artist, drew praise for his landscape paintings. In the prosperous city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked for most of his career, a community of abolitionists became Duncanson’s patrons, among them the Methodist preacher Richard Sutton Rust, the first owner of The Caves.
Caves were popular tourist attractions during the mid-19th century. Subterranean journeys were promoted as educational excursions for travelers, and guided tours of caves became commonplace. Here, Duncanson includes a guide holding a lantern in the shadows of the cave’s mouth, perhaps suggesting one such tour. But the figure may have carried additional meaning for the artist and his Cincinnati patrons: Caves frequently served as stops on the Underground Railroad for people escaping enslavement, and the choice of subject may have commemorated abolitionist efforts in Ohio.
—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)
Additional details
Location: On view
See more by Robert Seldon Duncanson
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Why is the grandeur of the American landscape such a compelling subject?
How do artists create depth, light, and texture in landscape paintings?
How does an artist provide viewers a sense of scale in an artwork?
In what ways and for what purposes have people engaged with the land?
Why were serene landscapes popular during the post-Civil War era?
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Grades Pre-K–3
The people we see in the painting traveled to enjoy this spot and the adventures they could have here. When you travel, and finally arrive at your destination, what are some things you do? Do you explore, go to a park, go on an adventure? Students can draw their adventure at the destination of their choice.
Grades 4–8
Imagine that you are a reporter who can travel back in time. Your assignment is to travel back to the 1860s and '70s to interview the internationally famous painter Robert Seldon Duncanson. Think about what you and your readers might want to know about the artist.
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This information is published from the Carter's collection database. Updates and additions based on research and imaging activities are ongoing. The images, titles, and inscriptions are products of their time and are presented here as documentation, not as a reflection of the Carter’s values. If you have corrections or additional information about this object please email us to help us improve our records.
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