Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania 1852

Curator: This is Sanford Robinson Gifford’s pencil sketch, Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's wonderfully serene. The soft pencil work creates such a tranquil scene. Curator: Gifford was part of the Hudson River School, and these sketches capture his engagement with the American landscape. It reflects the 19th-century idealization of nature and westward expansion. Editor: Water is often a symbol of the subconscious, so to see so much of it mirrored here… it feels deeply contemplative, as if inviting self-reflection. Curator: The Susquehanna River held significant cultural importance, representing both natural beauty and also the complicated history of westward expansion and its impact on indigenous populations. Editor: I see that tension too, between the beauty and the quiet acknowledgement of displacement. Curator: A powerful reminder of the complexities embedded within landscape art. Editor: Indeed; beauty and history interwoven.