Falls View Suspension Bridge over the Niagara River

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Joachim Ferdinand Richardt
Falls View Suspension Bridge over the Niagara River
c. 1873

About the Item

Born in Brede, Denmark, Ferdinand Richardt studied at the Copenhagen Academy where he learned landscape painting under the German artist Gustav Hetsch. In 1855 Richardt came to America to visit Niagara Falls, and, according to the Catalogue of the Niagara Gallery (op. cit.), “to study the sublimity and grandeur of that wonderful work of Nature. . . .” While there he executed at least thirty-two paintings of various scenes in the area, which were exhibited and offered for sale at Henry Leeds & Co., New York, in 1857 (op. cit.). It is for this series of paintings that Richardt is best known. This painting depicts the the first Falls View suspension bridge over the Niagara River, which spanned the chasm about 300 yards north of the American Falls in the approximate location of the current Rainbow International Bridge. The view is taken from the American side, looking toward the Canadian side. Construction on the bridge began in the winter of 1867 when a rope was carried across the Niagara River over an ice bridge, thus establishing a physical link between the two shorelines. The first Falls View Bridge opened on January 2, 1869. TThe twin 100 ft. tall towers were constructed of timber and supported the main suspension cables, from which a timber truss deck was hung. The bridge served pedestrian, horse, and carriage traffic. Since its deck measured only 10 ft. wide, carriage traffic alternated directions. In 1872, the open timber towers were clad with wood and corrugated metal siding, which afforded the entire structure a more permanent look, and a steam-powered Otis elevator was installed in the Canadian tower. This led to an observation desk on the tower’s roof.

Creator:
Joachim Ferdinand Richardt (1819-1895, Danish)
Creation Year:
c. 1873
Dimensions:
Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 49 in (124.46 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
American Realist
Period:
19th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: APG 63711stDibs: LU234453862