Artwork
Twenty-two Houses and a Church
Twenty-two Houses and a Church is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The painting shows a row of small houses and a church. The houses are simple and similar, with the church standing out in the middle. This painting is interesting because it seems to focus on everyday life, showing a quiet village scene.
You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of the artist: American 19th Century.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a landscape centered on domestic architecture: twenty-two houses and a church, rendered in a water-based medium.
The painting depicts a landscape centered on domestic architecture: twenty-two houses and a church, rendered in a water-based medium. The work belongs to the landscape genre and represents rural or village life in western New York State, where such clustered settlements were common in the mid-19th century. The prominence of houses alongside a church suggests a community organized around both domestic and spiritual life, a typical structure of small American towns of the period.
The straightforward, enumerative title emphasizes documentary observation over overt symbolism, presenting the scene as a record of place rather than an allegorical statement.
Technique & Style
Created in 1850, Twenty-two Houses and a Church is executed in a water-based medium applied to a canvas support. The work measures 61.2 cm in height and 76.5 cm in width, presenting a landscape genre scene that depicts multiple houses. As a product of an American artist from the 19th century, the painting reflects the stylistic conventions of that era's landscape tradition. The piece is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1850 by an unidentified artist associated with 19th-century American landscape traditions. Its early recorded provenance traces to western New York State before entering the art trade through the Old Print Shop in New York, which sold it in 1952 to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The Garbisches later donated the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1958, where it remains in the permanent collection.
The painting Twenty-two Houses and a Church is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces back to western New York State before being sold by the Old Print Shop in New York to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch in 1952. The work was subsequently gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1958. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records, nor is there documented exhibition history for this piece.
Legacy
Twenty‑two Houses and a Church entered the National Gallery of Art collection in 1958 through a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, tracing its ownership to a sale in western New York in 1952. Its inclusion in the museum’s American 19th‑century holdings has kept the work visible to scholars examining domestic architecture and frontier landscape painting. The painting’s composition, featuring a modest dwelling alongside a church, reflects contemporary interests in rural community life and has been cited in studies of how American artists rendered spiritual and settlement motifs.
As part of the Gallery’s permanent collection, it continues to inform exhibitions and research on 19th‑century landscape genres.
Overview
Twenty-two Houses and a Church is a painting rendered in a water-based medium on canvas. This work presents a serene village landscape, characterized by a long row of modest, uniform houses with a church centrally positioned among them. The composition captures a sense of everyday life, offering a glimpse into a quiet community. It reflects visual sensibilities common in American art of the 19th century.
Artist & collection
