 This
is one of the earliest views of West Point drawn in the
hand of a West Point Cadet that I am aware of. It
depicts the famous view of up the Hudson River looking
north from Trophy Point. To the right,
Constitution Island juts into the river and, and Mt.
Taurus and Breakneck are visible in the distance.
There are several boats in the river, including an early
steamboat, and an Army officer and lady stand in the
foreground to provide perspective and scale to the
scene.The
drawing demonstrates that McDowell was very competent at
sketching. Even minute details, such as the
reflection of the oars on a small rowboat, the small
skiff in tow behind a sailboat, the fine lines of the
ship's rigging, and the reflections of the smoke stacks
of the steamship are depicted in the scene. In the
foreground we see the top mast of a sailboat which was
docked a the lower dock at West Point, which was used by
the cadets in their training. Cadets attending the
academy during this early period received much training
in drawing and map making. They were trained in an
era before cameras and overhead imagery, and accurate
drawing and map making was an essential skill to a
future battlefield commander. Famous American
artists such as Seth Eastman and George Catlin, who went
on to future fame drawing scenes of the early American
West, instructed cadets at West Point early in their
careers. In fact, Seth Eastman himself graduated
from West Point in 1829, and from 1833 to 1840 was
assigned to the West Point where he taught drawing.
In all likelihood, this sketch by Cadet Irvin McDowell
was done while McDowell was a student in Seth Eastman's
drawing class. |
