Mt. Lebanon between Yahfoufa and Baalbek, Syria

Frederic Edwin Church's field sketch captures the dramatic topography of Mount Lebanon during his travels through the eastern Mediterranean. The drawing combines a panoramic mountain vista across the top with detailed geological notation below, revealing Church's dual practice as both artist and scientific observer. His refined linework and selective white heightening demonstrate the Romantic landscape tradition, while the accompanying annotations show his systematic interest in geological formation and spatial relationships. This sketch exemplifies the nineteenth-century tradition of artist-explorers documenting distant geographies for an American audience increasingly fascinated by the Near East.