Newbraska Wasatch Mountains 1859

Albert Bierstadt made this oil-on-paper painting, Newbraska Wasatch Mountains. While no date has been given to the work, Bierstadt was a prominent figure in the 19th-century Hudson River School movement known for its romanticized depictions of the American landscape. Here we see Bierstadt’s vision of the American West, a frontier undergoing rapid transformation. The painting reflects the expansionist fervor of the time, the ideology of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion. Yet, it also hints at the environmental cost of such expansion. In Newbraska Wasatch Mountains, Bierstadt doesn't just capture the land. He subtly acknowledges the displacement and dispossession of Native populations. The sublime landscape, while beautiful, serves as a stage for a complex history of settlement, conflict, and cultural erasure. It is an invitation to reflect on the stories of the land and its people.