Collect Pond, New York City, Archibald Robertson, 1798

The natural pool collect pond was located in lower manhattan near present-day foley square. This watercolor of the site exemplifies the formulaic method of drawing taught at the columbian academy of painting in new york city, founded by the brothers archibald and alexander robertson. Both the hill at left and the willow tree at right were rendered in highly stylized fashion, with broad contours and schematic curving lines. Spatial depth was achieved with swaths of dark wash in the foreground, setting off the lighter forms in the distance. Indeed, the whole picture observes a kind of artistic etiquette embodied in the polite company of figures in the foreground. Date: 1798. Dimensions: height: 17.7 in (45 cm); width: 23 in (58.5 cm). Medium: watercolor. Collect Pond-Bayard Mount-NYC