Asher Brown Durand was born in Maplewood, New Jersey (known then as Jefferson Village). He was apprenticed to an engraver, eventually becoming part owner of the firm. He engraved Declaration of Independence for John Trumbull in 1823, which established Durand’s reputation as a printmaker. Durand was a founding member of the National Academy of Design. His interest in oil painting began around 1830 with the encouragement of his patron, Luman Reed. In 1837, Durand accompanied his friend and colleague Thomas Cole on a sketching expedition to Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks, which increased his interest in becoming a landscape painter. He spent summers sketching in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Durand was a strong advocate for drawing directly from nature in a truthful manner. He became the leader of the Hudson River School after the death of its founder Thomas Cole.

Landscape with Covered Wagon displays a compositional type favored by Thomas Cole in his more allegorical works. Despite its obvious emphasis on nature, the painting is a metaphor for the young nation, illustrating the popular theme of immigrants confronting the New World. On the left is the primeval forest, often interpreted as both an untamed realm and a haven for contemplation by American philosophers and poets such as William Cullen Bryant. The right side shows the New Eden, the proverbial Promised Land, the place for future pioneer settlement.

Durand, John. The Life and Times of Asher B. Durand. Hensonville, NY: Black Dome Press Corporation, 2006.

Ferber, Linda. Kindred Spirits: Asher B. Durand and the American Landscape. South Humberside, England: D. Giles, Ltd., 2007.