HUNTINGTON, John (AMERICAN, FL. 1880-1882).
Buffalo Harbor during a Storm.
Gouache on sandpaper.
Signed and inscribed lower right: "Huntington, DEL/ Buffalo".Original work for the print which appeared in Geschichte der Deutschen in Buffalo und Erie County, N.Y., mit Biographien und Illustrationen hervorragenden Deutsch-Americkaner [History of the Germans is Buffalo and Erie County, N.Y. with biographies and illustrations of the aforementioned German-Americans who have influenced the development of the City of Buffalo], Published and printed by Reinecke & Zesch. Buffalo, N.Y., 1898
19" x 27" sheet, 26 x 33 1/2" framed.

This accomplished en grisalle painting depicts the bustling port of Buffalo, New York and appeared in printed form in the 1898 publication of Geschichte der Deutschen in Buffalo und Erie County, N.Y. [History of the Germans is Buffalo and Erie County, N.Y.]. During the mid-nineteen hundreds, the economy of Buffalo thrived mainly based upon the trade that passed through its important harbor. However, the transfer of goods was not the only function of canal and lake shipping, with passenger traffic remaining an important consideration of the harbor. Canal boats, lake steamers and lake schooners provided much faster and more economical means of travel than the overland methods of horse powered wagons and coaches. Huntington's painting is dominated by the lighthouse at the mouth of the harbor. The rough and stormy sea can be seen breaching the wall of the port in which both passenger and trade ships have moored, while further vessels continue to enter and seek refuge. This lively and animated scene is enhanced by the inclusion of windswept figures in the foreground, which also help to provide an indication of scale.

Related literature: Geschichte der Deutschen in Buffalo und Erie County, N.Y., page 111.