# Lake George

**John Frederick Kensett** (American, 1816–1872)  
1869  
Oil on canvas  
44 1/8 x 66 3/8 in. (112.1 x 168.6 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.30.61. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11311).

## About this work

The still waters of Lake George in upstate New York stretch away beneath a hazy, luminous sky, framed by rocky shores and soft blue mountains. John Frederick Kensett painted the lake many times, and this large canvas of 1869 is among his most admired: a carefully balanced arrangement of horizontal bands of water, land and air, rendered with smooth, nearly invisible brushwork. Its serene, light-filled stillness is often described as luminism, a quieter counterpart to the grand drama of earlier Hudson River School painting.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

John Frederick Kensett painted this in 1869, aged 53. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [John Frederick Kensett](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/john-frederick-kensett)

American, 1816–1872; born in Cheshire, Connecticut; died in New York

Kensett trained as an engraver before spending seven years in Europe, sketching in England and Italy. Back in New York in 1847 he became a leading figure of the second generation of the Hudson River School. His quiet coastal views of Newport, Long Island and Lake George, with broad still water and soft light, are central to what later writers called Luminism. He was a founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was 53
- Real size: about 44 × 66 in (112 × 169 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Hudson River School](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/hudson-river-school)
- Subjects: Lakes, Landscapes
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/841.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/841/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/lake-george-met-11311).