View from above the English Ferry

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

Taken from a series of prints entitled ‘The Falls of Niagara’, published by Ackerman & Co., this print has been trimmed sometime in the past and part of the inscription has been removed. This means that it is not possible to identify whether it is from the first edition of ‘The Falls of Niagara’, published in 1833 and dedicated to the then current King William IV, or the second edition, published in 1857 and dedicated to the monarch who replaced him, Queen Victoria.

The Niagara River forms the international border between the state of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York, U.S.A. The print includes both the Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the river, and the American Falls on the U.S. side. The two falls are separated by Goat Island in the center. In ‘View from above the English Ferry’ we see the falls from below. The title of the work states that it was taken from the ‘English side’. This refers to the area known as Upper Canada, which bordered the river and was an English-speaking British colony from 1791 to 1841.

James Pattison Cockburn was born in New York, the son of Colonel John Cockburn. He entered the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich in 1793, the day after his 14th birthday. There Cockburn studied landscape drawing under Paul Sandby. He left two years later as a second lieutenant of the Royal Artillery. Whilst located in the many countries he was posted to throughout his career, he made numerous drawings and watercolours of the scenery. These resulted in the publication of collections of his views, including ‘Views of the Valley of Aosta’ (1822), ‘Pompeii Illustrated’ (1829) and ‘The Falls of Niagara’ (1833). Cockburn’s final promotion was to Major-General on 9 November 1846. He died shortly afterwards, at his home at Woolwich Common, Kent.

Places

Niagara Falls, Niagara River, United States of America, New York, Canada, Ontario

Subjects

topography, landscape C19th, tree, river, waterfall

Materials & Techniques

aquatint, coloured aquatint

Artist

James Pattison Cockburn (1778 - 1849)
John Edge

Title

View from above the English Ferry

Date

published 1833/1857

Medium

Coloured aquatint

Acquisition

Purchased from the Parker Gallery, June 1960

Inscription

in pencil, to left of centre lettering: NIAGARA FALLS. ABOVE ENGLISH FERRY

GAC number

5202