# The Falls of Niagara

**Edward Hicks** (American, 1780–1849)  
ca. 1825  
Oil on canvas  
31 1/2 x 38 in. (80 x 96.5 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 62.256.3. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11080).

## About this work

Niagara Falls pours down at the centre while animals of the American wilderness, among them an eagle and a snake, gather in the foreground as if presenting the wildlife of the continent. Edward Hicks, a Quaker preacher from Pennsylvania who earned his living as a sign and carriage painter, probably based the view on a printed source rather than on a visit, and he framed it with lines of verse lettered around the border. The flattened forms, bright colour and lettered frame put the skills of his trade to the service of wonder at the American landscape.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Edward Hicks painted this in about 1825, aged about 42. 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.

### [Edward Hicks](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/edward-hicks)

American, 1780–1849; born in Langhorne, Pennsylvania; died in Newtown, Pennsylvania

Hicks was a Quaker minister in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who earned his living as a coach and sign painter. He is best known for the Peaceable Kingdom, a subject drawn from Isaiah’s prophecy of animals lying down together, which he painted more than sixty times, often with William Penn’s treaty with the Lenape in the background. The pictures reflect his faith and the divisions within his own Quaker community. He also painted farm scenes and historical subjects.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was about 42
- Real size: about 31 × 38 in (80 × 97 cm). The 24 × 36 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Romanticism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/romanticism)
- Subjects: Animals, Eagles, Snakes, Waterfalls, Trees
- 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/829.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/829/1920.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; 24 × 36 in $108
- 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; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- 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; 24 × 36 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/the-falls-of-niagara-met-11080).