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Framed watercolor on paper view of the Bowen family's Roseland Cottage and grounds in Woodstock, Connecticut from the northeast; the road and fence are in the foreground with trees and grounds visible around the house.
watercolors (paintings)
paintings (visual works)
paper (fiber product)
watercolor (paint)
Painting
"Cherished Possesions": The 1840s witnessed the flowering of the Gothic revival style in architecture and furnishings, due in no small measure to Andrew Jackson Downing's influential book, Cottage Residences (1842). No doubt Henry Bowen, for whom Roseland Cottage was built, was familiar with Downing's designs. However, the color of Bowen's house was not one Downing recommended. In Cottage Residences, Downing advocated painting houses a cheerful, mellow hue harmonizing with the verdure of the country, and suggested in particular the use of shades of gray or fawn. Although not as bright as the 1880s pink that is on the house today, the original color was brighter than the one depicted on the design produced by the house's architect, Joseph C. Wells.
Subject Roseland Cottage,
1970.442
Attributed to Wells, Joseph Collins, 1813-1860 (Artist)
Brooklyn, NY, USA
31 x 28 1/2 (HxW) (inches)
Gift of Margaret Carson Holt
1970.442A
Fall 1996, p. 47-57
New York state (United States)
Connecticut (United States)
Title Picture Frame Accession Number 1970.442B
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