Artifact World Gallery
Get the iOS app

Artwork

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer

Frederic Remington , 1889

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer, by Frederic Remington, oil, 1889
Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer, by Frederic Remington, oil, 1889

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Frederic Remington. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting illustrates a narrative moment drawn from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha.

The painting illustrates a narrative moment drawn from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. It shows a man and a woman in a small boat on a river flanked by trees, capturing the instant when an object is pitched sheer into the water and remains visible during summer months. The composition emphasizes the interaction between human figures and the surrounding landscape, using the boat, river, and foliage as visual anchors for the poem’s legend.

By rendering this specific episode, the work visualizes the enduring presence of cultural memory within the natural setting, suggesting that the story, and the object cast into the river, continues to be seen and remembered.

Technique & Style

The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium confirmed by the catalog entry and the Wikidata record. Its support is a canvas support, and the work measures 50.8 cm in height by 71.8 cm in width. It belongs to the genre‑scene category and portrays a narrative moment from The Song of Hiawatha, featuring a boat, a tree, a man, a woman, and a river.

The composition reflects Frederic Remington’s characteristic approach to Western subjects, combining realistic figure rendering with a loose, atmospheric handling of light and space. The piece is part of The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, though the sources do not specify its current condition.

History & Provenance

Frederic Remington created the oil on canvas work titled Pitched It Sheer into the River... Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer in 1889. The painting depicts a scene inspired by The Song of Hiawatha, featuring figures, a boat, and a riverine landscape.

The work currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the American Wing, where it is classified as a genre scene. While the specific commission details and intermediate ownership history are not provided in the available records, the piece's inception is firmly established as 1889, and it remains held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inventoried as 62.241.3. It was acquired by the museum in 1962. The work has not been recorded in major special exhibitions according to available records, and no exhibition history prior to its accession is documented.

Overview

Frederic Remington's oil on canvas, Pitched It Sheer into the River... Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer, depicts a tense moment on a dark river. A man in a red shirt forcefully pushes a large, heavy object from a wooden boat into the water, creating ripples.

Behind him, two women observe the action, one clutching her shawl, the other gazing forward. The work captures a clandestine act, hinting at a hidden narrative.

This Was a Fatal Embarkation
This Was a Fatal Embarkation, Frederic Remington

Artist & collection

Portrait of Frederic Remington

Artist

Frederic Remington

Frederic Sackrider Remington was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art.

MORE BY FREDERIC REMINGTON

VISUALLY SIMILAR

Similarity 98 percent

Frequently asked questions

Who painted Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer?

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer was painted by Frederic Remington in 1889.

Where can I see Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer?

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer?

Pitched It Sheer into the River . . . Where It Still Is Seen in the Summer is associated with American Impressionism.