Collections: American Art: View from Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn

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View from Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn

On special assignment for a German newspaper, Rudolph Cronau came to America to document its cities, frontier lands, and Native American populations for curious European audiences. His training at the Düsseldorf art academy, which emphasized careful draftsmanship, is clearly evident in this romanticized vista of Brooklyn’s famous Green-Wood Cemetery at sunset. Conceived in tones of black and white for reproduction, this watercolor features the Gothic-style entrance arch at center, the classical tomb of John Anderson (a wealthy tobacconist and philanthropist) at right, and New York Harbor in the distance.


• Artist: Rudolph Cronau, American, born Germany, 1855-1939
• Medium: Watercolor and black ink on cream, moderately thick, smooth textured wove paper mounted to pulpboard
• Dates: 1881
• Dimensions: 7 13/16 x 9 3/4 in. (19.8 x 24.8 cm) Frame: 16 3/8 x 21 1/4 x 1 1/2 in. (41.6 x 54 x 3.8 cm)
• Signature: Signed lower left corner: "Rud. Cronau. / Brooklyn, 81"
• Inscriptions: Inscribed lower right: "Partie vom Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn."; inscribed verso in black ink: "On Greenwood Cemetery near Brooklyn, N.Y. / Drawing made by Rudolf Cronau 1881. / 7 x 9 1/2"; notated bottom center, in pencil: "65"
• Collections: American Art
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 1996.221
• Credit Line: Gift of Gerold Wunderlich
• Image: Overall, 1996.221_cropped_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Rudolph Cronau (American, born Germany, 1855-1939). View from Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, 1881. Watercolor and black ink on cream, moderately thick, smooth textured wove paper mounted to pulpboard, 7 13/16 x 9 3/4 in. (19.8 x 24.8 cm) Frame: 16 3/8 x 21 1/4 x 1 1/2 in. (41.6 x 54 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gerold Wunderlich, 1996.221 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1996.221_cropped_SL1.jpg)