Lake Placid at Twilight

Inscriptions

Signed and dated, lower right: Edith W. Cook / 1868. Inscribed, in graphite, on stretcher: Placid Lake. Label on reverse: Placid Lake, Twilight. / Edith W. Cook / 26 Hudson Terrace. Hoboken,N.J. /Post. The Artist. / To be returned to J. Snedecor. Exhibition label on reverse: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts / (torn)ty-Fifth Annual Exhibition, 1868 / 50.

Label

Edith Cook’s view of Whiteface Mountain on Lake Placid exhibits many qualities associated with landscape painting of this period: a spare composition that creates a sense of calm, a keen interest in atmospheric conditions and lighting effects (note the pinkish late afternoon light), and a strong horizontal format. It reveals, in particular, the influence of well-established landscapist Sanford Robinson Gifford, whose sister was a close friend of Cook, and who almost certainly gave Cook informal instruction.

Cook was not only a pioneering female landscape painter who traveled widely for her subjects, but also an intrepid outdoorswoman. Together with a small number of family members and friends and, after 1876, with fellow members of the newly formed Appalachian Mountain Club, she bush-whacked and scrambled up countless uncharted peaks throughout the northeast— especially in the White Mountains—helping to create hiking trails still used today.

From the 2019 exhibition American Art, Colonial to Modern, curated by Barbara J. MacAdam, Jonathan L. Cohen Curator of American Art

The two paintings displayed here are alike in their serene and peaceful portrayal of American landscapes. However, their tranquility carries historical significance, as both were created by underrepresented artists at a time when landscape painting was largely considered the domain of White male painters. Cook was a pioneering female landscape artist who traveled extensively across the country to find subjects for her work, while Duncanson is recognized as the first African American artist to achieve international acclaim. Although it is unclear whether the paintings were intended to convey any overt political message, they nevertheless demonstrate how art can serve as a means for all to engage with the American countryside.

From the 2026 exhibition Nurturing Nationhood: Artistic Constructions of America, 1790-1940, curated by Haely Chang (Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art), Evonne Fuselier (Hood Museum Board of Advisors Mutual Learning Fellow), Michael Hartman (former Jonathan Little Cohen Curator of American Art), Elizabeth Rice Mattison (Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Academic Programming and Curator of European Art), and Ashley B. Offill (Curator of Collections)

Exhibition History

A Wild Sort of Beautu: Public Places and Private Visions, The Adironack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York, May 23, 1992-October 15, 1992.

American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, June 9-December 9, 2007.

American Art, Colonial to Modern, Israel Sack Gallery and Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26, 2019-September 12, 2021.

Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 16, 1993-March 10, 1996.

Nurturing Nationhood: Artistic Constructions of America, 1790-1940, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; February 7-August 29, 2026.

Scenes of Placid Lake: An Exhibition in Honor of the Centennial of The Shore Owners' Association of Lake Placid, The Fine Arts Gallery, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, New York, July 23-September 3, 1993.

Publication History

Robert L. McGrath, Scenes of Placid Lake: An Exhibition in Honor of the Centennial of The Shore Owners' Association of Lake Placid, July 23 - September 3, 1993, Lake Placid, New York: The Fine Arts Gallery, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, ill. p. 11.

Barbara J. MacAdam, American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Muesum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2007, p. 54, no. 33.

Provenance

Raymond G. Clifton (1895-1968), Pine Cupboard Antique Shop, Franklin, New Hampshire; sold to present collection, 1960.

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