Island off Henley Harbour with Two Floating Icebergs, Canada

Frederic Edwin Church's sketches document the dramatic geology of the Canadian Arctic. The upper drawing renders a distant coastal formation with characteristic stratified cliffs; below, two studies isolate floating icebergs with precise attention to their fractured surfaces and varied profiles. Church's linear, economical line work captures both the monumental scale and the specific topographical detail that characterize his field studies. These drawings served as visual research for larger exhibition paintings, part of the Hudson River School's investigation of sublime wilderness landscapes in North America's remote regions.