The son of a mineralogical surveyor, Robert Bakewell developed a profound interest in geology and the landscape. From 1829 to 1856, he made several trips to the Niagara region, examining the area’s geography and recording his perceived changes in notes and sketches. In an article the artist published in 1857, he describes making a panoramic sketch from atop the Pavilion Hotel overlooking Table Rock in Niagara Falls, Canada (the hotel burned to the ground in 1839). Table Rock was a large outcropping that formed a natural vantage point for tourists. The bedrock beneath the formation eroded over time and eventually collapsed in the mid-1850s. It is quite possible that this drawing informed the composition of the painting presented here. From his writing, it is clear that Bakewell had a true passion for Niagara Falls. He described it as a “magnificent scene . . . the more I am absorbed by the glorious view, the more does my feeling of its grandeur lose itself in admiration of its beauty.”

Label from Picturing Niagara, September 30, 2017–August 5, 2018