In the White Mountains

Kensett was born in Connecticut into a family of talented engravers and was first trained by his English-born father, Thomas Kensett (1786 – 1829). His experience with engraving honed his skills as a draftsman, which he retained throughout his career. By 1840, he had befriended fellow Hudson River School painters William Casilear, Thomas P. Rossiter and Asher B. Durand. The four young American artists embarked on an extended tour of Europe including stops in London, Paris and Rome. Upon his return in 1847, Kensett opened a successful studio in New York and by 1849 had become a full member of the National Academy of Design.

By the 1850s and 1860s he had created some of the most accomplished American landscapes of the nineteenth century. Although he occasionally painted large works, Kensett generally preferred to work on small to medium-sized canvases. Kensett returned again and again to favorite spots that were easily accessible from New York. In the White Mountains, a late-career painting demonstrates his superb draftsmanship, refined palette, and skill at rendering aerial perspective.