Sunrise in the Alleghenies

Paul Weber immigrated to the United States from his native Germany in 1848, settling in Philadelphia just as the Hudson River School of artists were at the height of their popularity. Following their lead, Weber traveled around Pennsylvania, up the Hudson, and into the Catskills to capture first-hand scenes of the American wilderness. His depiction of the variety of trees—including the autumn foliage, which is not a characteristic of European woodlands—conveyed the vast expanses of the young country. He both exhibited and taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where William Trost Richards was among his students.