That Happy Land: Two Exhibitions Celebrating the Natural Beauty of Virginia’s Heartland

September 20, 2002 - February 03, 2003

United-LeGard Galleries

Exhibit Details

That Happy Land Views of the Valley: 19th Century Landscapes by Edward Beyer: Edward Beyer was born in 1820 in the German Rhineland. He studied art at the Dusseldorf Academy and painted in Dresden until he left for America around 1850. Beyer’s small details and tiny figures depict the rural Virginia landscape during the middle of the 19th century, including views of Winchester, Wytheville, Christiansburg, Buchanan and others. Lenders to the exhibition include the Virginia Historical Society, Glen Burnie Historic House & Gardens, and the Town Improvement Society of Buchanan,Va.

 

That Sublime Arch: Images of Virginia’s Natural Bridge: during the 19th century, fright and delight were combined in the traveler’s first impressions of Natural Bridge, one of America’s premier natural wonders. During a time when trains had only recently begun to displace wagons, soaring mountains with fantastic rock formations were a novelty of vast proportions to many. This exhibition features 18th and 19th century paintings, prints, and photographs depicting Natural Bridge, most borrowed from the collection of the Virginia Historical Society with additions from The Library of Virginia and private collectors. Support for That Happy Land is provided, in part, by Columbus McKinnon Corporation and Highlands Union Bank.