The Great Adirondack Pass, Painted on the Spot, 1837. Charles Cromwell Ingham (1796-1863).View Slideshow

A "Wild, Unsettled Country": Early Reflections of the Adirondacks

May 28 — October 18, 2010

Paintings, maps, prints, and photographs illustrate the untamed Adirondack wilderness discovered by early artists, cartographers, and photographers.

The exhibit will showcase more than forty paintings from the museum's exceptional collection, including works by Thomas Cole, John Frederick Kensett, William Havell, and James David Smillie.

Also featured are fifty of the engravings and lithographs of Adirondack landscape paintings that brought these images to a wider audience and provided many Americans with their first glimpse of the "howling wilds" that were the Adirondack Mountains.

A dozen rare and significant maps from the collection of the museum's research library demonstrate the growth of knowledge about the Adirondacks. These include the "1704 Edition of Lahontan's Voyages" by the Baron Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce Lahontan and the "Chronological Map of the Province of New York in North America Divided into Counties, Manors, and Townships . . ." by Claude Joseph Sauthier, 1779.

"A 'Wild Unsettled Country'" will feature photographs sold as tourist souvenirs and to "armchair travelers." The first photographic landscape studies made in the Adirondacks by William James Stillman in 1859 have never been exhibited before. Photos by Seneca Ray Stoddard will also be included.

The documentary film, "Champlain: The Lake Between," is shown continuously in the exhibition gallery.

The exhibit will include special labels and text just for kids in addition to the traditional presentation. The Adirondack Museum encourages parents and children to explore and discover together!

Family Friendly Exhibit Elements:

Wild About! Guidebooks
A series of 10 "journals" encouraging kids and families to explore the art exhibited. This guided discovery of the Adirondacks encourages kids to be wild about maps, prints, color, history, and more.
Looking at Art with Children
An illustrated and engaging tutorial on looking at art and how to "read" a painting.
Gallery Study Center
Featuring art books for children and a touch screen computer to access images from the painting collection.
Grand Tour Guide
The Grand Tour Guide presents a colorful and engaging map that encourages visitors to continue their Adirondack exploration by visiting areas featured in select paintings shown in the exhibit.