Untitled (Niagara Falls)
1886
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1886
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This etching shows Niagara Falls from a rocky ledge. Fine lines carve the mist and water into delicate patterns. The rock face in the foreground looks almost sculpted by the printmaker’s needle. The artist used drypoint here. That’s a tricky etching trick: the needle scratches metal, leaving a burr that holds extra ink for richer blacks. The plate stays small, so the artist had to compress the whole waterfall into a tight view. Check out another Amos W. Sangster print at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
