Fort Smith, Arkansas

Artist Heinrich Balduin Möllhausen (German, 1825 - 1905)

Lithographer Sarony, Major & Knapp (1843-1867)

Date1856

MediumLithograph on paper

Dimensions8 3/8 × 11 1/16 inches (21.3 × 28.1 cm)
Mat: 12 × 14 inches (30.5 × 35.6 cm)

Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1977

Object number91.111.1

ClassificationsPrints

Label TextThe United States government sponsored art making through its exploring efforts. The government employed artists to make pictures as a way of learning about the land. One of the most extensive projects involved the search for a railroad route. Five teams surveyed possible routes for a continental railroad. Möllhausen traveled with the team that mapped a possible path through the South. Lieutenant A.W. Whipple led the exploring party, which gathered supplies at Fort Smith, Arkansas. Whipple described it as a “flourishing city.” Möllhausen wrote that the citizens of Fort Smith wanted the railroad to come to their town and were “friendly hosts.”

ProvenancePurchased November 18, 1977 through (Charing Cross Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Michigan) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

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