A Faithful Student of Nature: The Life and Art of Samuel L. Gerry

Samuel Lancaster Gerry (1813–91) was a prominent 19th-century artist who was particularly renowned for his paintings of New Hampshire, especially the White Mountains. His depictions of the state’s natural beauty were emblematic of many New Hampshire icons, such as the Old Man of the Mountain, Mount Washington, and the Flume. His paintings of these natural wonders helped shape the way Americans viewed New Hampshire and contributed to the rise of tourism to the state. Gerry’s landscapes typically featured detailed foregrounds that included horseback riders, farmers, fisherman, and even tourists and artists, set against dramatic, sweeping backgrounds that emphasized the majesty of New Hampshire’s mountains and lakes. Well-connected in the Boston art scene, Gerry also helped organize the city’s first art associations, wrote extensively on the artist’s craft, trained students, and collaborated with some of the finest artists of his time. 

The New Hampshire Historical Society's online exhibition, A Faithful Student of Nature: The Life and Art of Samuel L. Gerry, includes 52 of Gerry’s most well-known works and traces the story of his life. The online exhibition is available at exhibitions.nhhistory.org