A watercolor of rushing water tumbling over rocky cliffs beneath double rainbows in a cloudy sky.

A detail of a watercolor of rushing water tumbling over rocky cliffs beneath double rainbows in a cloudy sky.

The Great Falls of the Mohawk

William Constable (1783-1861)

Date

ca. 1825-1830
Medium

Watercolor over graphite on paper
Dimensions

11 15/16 x 15 1/8 in.
Inscriptions

Recto:
u.l. in ink: 3
Verso:
l.l. in red ink: The Great Falls of the Mohawk, commonly called the Cohorz, \ sketched by William Constable, Saturday the, 9[th]. August, 1806. \ This Drawing made by him after his return to England in 1808, and, as \ I guess about 1825 or 1830. \ Clair J. Grece,
l.l. in graphite: BM#1
Credit Line

Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Gift of J. A. Curran
Accession Number

1974.63
Copyright

Public domain

In 1806 Constable and his brother, Daniel, sold their successful cloth and dry-goods shop in Brighton, England, and sailed to America in search of adventure. Beginning with a trip up the Hudson River, they eventually traveled more than 7,000 miles across the United States. Throughout the journey, William recorded notable scenic landmarks in sketches. Later, back in England, he translated these works into fully finished watercolors, including this portrayal of a waterfall that the brothers had encountered during a stop in the town of Troy, New York, in August of 1806.

In addition to two of Constable’s watercolors, the Carter is also home to the journals that he and his brother kept during their travels. Their writings offer an invaluable record of post-Revolution life in America and include encounters with Thomas Paine, the author of the famed political pamphlet Common Sense, as well as the artist-naturalist John James Audubon.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023).

The Allure of Paper: Drawings and Watercolors from the Collection

July 9–October 9, 2011

This special exhibition showcases one-of-a-kind works on paper never before exhibited together, chronicling the sweeping changes that occurred in American art over the course of nearly 200 years from portraiture and history painting to modernism and abstraction.

Location: Off view

See more by William Constable

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