Genesee Falls, Rochester – Antique Waterfall Engraving, New York State, ca.1850

Landscape · 19th century

Genesee Falls, Rochester – Antique Waterfall Engraving, New York State, ca.1850

€ 230

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1850
Sheet size: 14.4 × 23.8 cm (5.7 × 9.4 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-14038-121

What the condition grades mean

Excellent: Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good: Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good: Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair: Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.

Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.

Condition

Good antique condition with age-related toning, scattered foxing, and minor handling marks consistent with age. The engraved image remains strong and clear, with excellent detail throughout. Please examine the photographs carefully.

About this sheet

The Genesee Falls at Rochester, New York, an original steel engraving published around 1850 by Herrmann J. Meyer of New York. The plate title reads "Genesee Falls, Rochester". The lower margin carries the publisher's line, "Published for the Proprietors by Herrmann J. Meyer, 164 William Street, New York", the note "Drawn after Nature", and a copyright notice "secured according to Act of Congress". The sheet is printed in black.

The falls fill the foreground as a wide sheet of white water pouring over a ledge into the gorge, with spray rising at the base and dark rocks framing the lower corners. Behind them the river flows away between steep cliffs. Church spires, tall brick buildings and a smoking chimney crowd the skyline above the brink, so that the city seems to stand at the very edge of the cataract.

The Genesee supplied water power to Rochester's mills, and the city grew in the years around this date as a milling center on the Erie Canal.