Landscape, Meiringen, Switzerland

William Trost Richards sketched this Alpine vista during his travels in Switzerland, capturing the dramatic peaks and layered slopes of the Meiringen region in pen and ink. A leading American landscape painter of the 19th century, Richards combined detailed topographical observation with atmospheric effects, working from nature to develop compositions later refined in oils. This drawing exemplifies the artist's method of rapid on-site notation—precise architectural rendering of geological forms paired with varied line work to suggest distance and light. Richards' meticulous approach to mountain scenery influenced American landscape practice and reflected the era's scientific curiosity about natural geography.