The Hudson Highlands: From the Peekskill and Cold Spring Road Near Garrison’s Landing

Frances Flora Bond Palmer, often referred to as Fanny Palmer, was an English-born illustrator who immigrated to New York and joined the renowned publishing firm of Currier & Ives. In this charming view of the Hudson Highlands, Palmer uses a composition typical of seventeenth-century European landscape to depict Garrison’s Landing, a recognizable locale. Large trees at left and right focus our attention on the house and cows in the foreground, which suggest an idyllic, rural life. The road entices us into the scene and then leads us back into the middle ground, where we encounter the ubiquitous “water feature”—the Hudson River.

Palmer uses muted colors for the mountains and sky to create atmospheric perspective and suggest a deep distance. Her end result required teamwork because she depended on staff colorists to copy her tinted example faithfully. With more than 200 Currier & Ives prints credited to Palmer, she probably deserves credit for bringing more images of nature into American homes than any other artist.