Snapshots of the Past

[Waving figure from Westward the course of empire takes its way"]" – Vintage Print

[Waving figure from Westward the course of empire takes its way"]", [ca. 1860] — historic drawing
[Waving figure from Westward the course of empire takes its way"]", [ca. 1860]. Historic drawing from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic drawing of [Waving figure from Westward the course of empire takes its way"]" brings a moment of history to your wall. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Waving figure from Westward the course of empire takes its way"]"

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

A quick graphite sketch of a figure raising an arm, likely a study for Emanuel Leutze's *Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way*. The painting's title comes from a line in Bishop George Berkeley's 1726 poem on planting arts and learning in America. Leutze, the German-born painter best known for *Washington Crossing the Delaware*, worked on the composition around 1861 as a grand image of continental expansion. Sketches like this one show how he settled the poses and gestures of his figures before committing them to the large canvas, and they reflect the optimism about westward growth that the finished work celebrated.

Created / published[ca. 1860]
Medium1 drawing : graphite.
GenreSketches 1850-1870.
NotesIn sketchbook. Published in: Eyes of the nation : a visual history of the United States / Vincent Virga and curators of the Library of Congress ; historical commentary by Alan Brinkley. New York : Knopf, 1997.
SubjectsWestward movement--1850-1870.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,192 × 1,494 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-218433

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

The Revolutionary Communist Party and its chairman, Bob Avakian, are the target of the most vicious attack by the gov't since the '60sThe Revolutionary Communist Party and its chairman, Bob Avakian, are the target Make way for a ladyMake way for a ladyA spectral looking figure stalked from out the darkness / E. Boyd Smith.A spectral looking figure stalked from out the darkness / E. Boyd Smith.[Rinceau and festoon frieze featuring winged herm-like figure and medallion][Rinceau and festoon frieze featuring winged herm-like figure and medallion]Australia. The tallest trees in the British Empire, Marysville, Victoria / Trompf.Australia. The tallest trees in the British Empire, Marysville, Victoria / TrompThe way they go to California / lith. & pub. by N. Currier.The way they go to California / lith. & pub. by N. Currier.