HILL, after John William (1812-1879)

Rockland Lake - Cutting Ice - View from the Northeast

C. & W. Endicott, c. 1845-9. Hand-coloured lithograph. Sheet size: 18 3/4 x 23 7/8 inches.

The present image shows the winter task of collecting surface ice called "ice-cutting" or "ice-harvesting." Though uncommon today, from the beginning of the 19th century to early 20th century many communities that was near fresh water harvested ice during the coldest months of the year. Rockland Lake, near the Hudson River about 25 miles north of New York City, was the largest natural ice harvesting operation of the Knickerbocker Ice Company, which was the most prominent ice purveyor at the turn of the 20th Century. In fact, ice-harvesting at Rockland Lake was so renowned that in 1900 Thomas Edison Films documented the entire process. When a body of water freezes to the depth sufficient for harvesting, the first task is to mark the surface to the relevant size for the final ice block. A specialized horse-drawn plow with metal teeth would then be used to deeply score the ice, as depicted here in the foreground to the right of the image. The ice would then be cut with either a handsaw or a powered saw blade into long continuous strips and then cut into large individual blocks for transport by wagon back to the ice house, which is usually insulated by packed sawdust and peat and had a natural draining floor to carry away the melt water. Ice from Rockland Lake was transported via a railway over Hook Mountain and then in barges to New York City. Some of the ice shipped down the Hudson went to facilitate Manhattan's Meatpacking district in the Lower West Side, while some was distributed throughout the city in special ice wagons or exported to destinations as far as Asia. Rockland Lake, because of its clean spring fed water and proximity to the Hudson River, New York City, and international shipping lanes, soon became the undisputed leader in the industry. John William Hill was born in London in 1812 and immigrated to America with his family at age 7. His father, John Hill, a renowned engraver, and aquatintist, influenced his early artistic training. Settling in Philadelphia in 1819, the family later moved to New York in 1823, where Hill apprenticed under his father for seven years, contributing to aquatint prints for William Guy Wall's Hudson River Portfolio. Hill began exhibiting at the National Academy of Design in 1828 and, in 1833, traveled to London for further art study, becoming an associate of the National Academy that same year. From 1836 to 1841, he served as a topographical artist for the New York State Geological Survey. His work during this period included illustrations for natural history publications. Later, employed by Smith Brothers in New York, he painted watercolor views of American cities for lithographs. An active member in the art community, Hill later became associated with John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites, whose writings and philosophy influenced his later style.

Item #41376

Price: $1,250.00