Monmouth Battle Grounds, N. J.

Periodca. 1850 - 1860

MediumPastel on art board

Dimensions15.5 × 21 in. (39.4 × 53.3 cm)

InscribedInscribed on center bottom edge, "Monmouth Battle Grounds, N. J." Stencilled on reverse, "S. Wood Jr. No. 1 / Monochromatic Boards / 231 6th Av. New York."

ClassificationsLandscapes & Still Life

Credit LineMarshall P. Blankarn Purchasing Fund, 1988

Object number1988.3

DescriptionLandscape view showing a farmstead in the right distance with a story and a half main residence, a one story wing attached to it on the left, a barn beyond the house, and a small outbuilding to its right. The farm is set in a rolling landscape dotted with trees. Two large trees in the right foreground frame the farm. Between the trees in the lower right is a large rock near which are two males wearing hats, one of whom is carrying a gun.
Curatorial RemarksThis naïve rendering of the Old Tennent Parsonage from a distance was probably inspired by the virtually identical scene engraved by James H. Smillie and Robert Hinshelwood for Graham’s Magazine (1845). Executed when the Parsonage was actually in a state of ruin, the pastel shows the buildings as they may have looked before the Battle of Monmouth; the buildings are in pristine condition, untouched by the disrepair and decay that led to their eventual demolition.NotesDuring the pre-Civil War era, illustrated periodicals such as Graham’s Magazine provided American audiences with fascinating––and beautifully rendered––images of America’s historical sites. This view of the Monmouth battleground, based on an engraving by James H. Smillie and Robert Hinshelwood after an original oil painting by Smillie, was used to illustrate Charles J. Peterson’s article, “The Battle-grounds of America. No. IV – Monmouth,” published in Graham’s Magazine in January 1845.

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