Nineteenth Century Painting
Framed dimensions: 31.38 x 39.38 in

According to the catalogue raisonne of Church's work, the artist only produced one painting titled Morning in the Tropics (1858). This painting currently resides at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The catalogue states the following regarding subsequent reproductions of the image:

"In 1860, collaborating again with engraver Samuel V. Hunt, Church, McClure and the dealer - Publisher Samuel P. Avery produced an engraving (Cat. No. 704) of Morning in the Tropics (1858; Walters Gallery), a small canvas Church had painted in one day's time. The print must have been popular, since it inspired other artists to paint more than a dozen known adaptations of various sizes, some considerably larger than either of the original canvas or the engraving; one of them was produced as late as 1899" (Carr, 494). The painting we are offering is one of the aforementioned adaptations of Church's iconic scene.

Many people wonder how this could be a Hudson River School painting when it depicts a scene with tropical foliage. It is little known fact that many Hudson River painters, such as Church, travelled to lush locations beyond the United States to paint what they saw. According to the Walters Art Museum, Church was "inspired by German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, who explored Latin America at the end of the 18th century, Church traveled widely in search of romantic subjects, visiting South America in 1853 and 1857. Sketches of the spectacular tropical scenery made during his second voyage to Ecuador and Colombia served as the basis for this well-known painting" (Morning in the Tropics).