Wadsworth Tower #1 - Wood
   
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Pattern Category: Places Series: Shell Border, Irregular or Grotto-Shaped Center Object Type: Wares for Coffee and Tea Dimensions:
Description: This saucer shows a view of Wadsworth Tower in the distance. The tower is located on Talcott Mountain, overlooking the Connecticut River Valley and lake. It was built in 1810 by Daniel Wadsworth as part of his estate, "Monte Video." Hexagonal in shape and 55 feet tall, the tower became a popular tourist destination, as Wadsworth opened Monte Video to the public for their use. The tower was blown down in 1840, rebuilt, and finally burned down. An early focus of the picturesque act of looking at scenery, the Tower was a popular focus for artists. Wadsworth himself sketched it for a guidebook/memoir published by his brother-in-law Benjamin Silliman in 1820. Thomas Cole painted in as one of a series of scenic canvases commissioned by Wadsworth in 1826-1828. The well-known local poet Lydia Sigourney penned an ode to it as part of her 1844 "Scenes in my Native Land." See the almost identical view, including shell border, by A. Stevenson. Also, see a variation of the border of this view by Wood, with image medallions, in Wadsworth Tower #2. |
