An oil painting of a lush forest and river valley with three people walking up a dirt path toward caves tucked into the side of the hills.

The Caves

Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872)

Date

1869
Object Type

Paintings
Medium

Oil on canvas
Dimensions

36 x 30 3/4 in.
Inscriptions

Recto:
signed l.l. in red pigment: .Duncanson. \ 1869
Credit Line

Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Accession Number

2012.8
Copyright

Public domain

During his lifetime, Duncanson, a self-taught Black artist, drew praise for his landscape paintings. In the prosperous city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked for most of his career, a community of abolitionists became Duncanson’s patrons, among them the Methodist preacher Richard Sutton Rust, the first owner of The Caves.

Caves were popular tourist attractions during the mid-19th century. Subterranean journeys were promoted as educational excursions for travelers, and guided tours of caves became commonplace. Here, Duncanson includes a guide holding a lantern in the shadows of the cave’s mouth, perhaps suggesting one such tour. But the figure may have carried additional meaning for the artist and his Cincinnati patrons: Caves frequently served as stops on the Underground Railroad for people escaping enslavement, and the choice of subject may have commemorated abolitionist efforts in Ohio.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)

From Remington to O’Keeffe: The Carter’s Greatest Hits

October 6, 2018–March 22, 2019

During the renovation, this exhibition features highlights from the permanent collection, including paintings, photographs, and sculptures, by some of America’s most renowned artists.

Location: On view

See more by Robert Seldon Duncanson

Content type: Carter ARTicle

Over the river and through the woods: summer art adventures!

Prickles the jackalope jumps into Robert S. Duncanson's "The Caves."

Content type: Link

Art Tales on Facebook Live

A screenshot of a Carter educator holding a book in front of two paintings in a Carter gallery.

Educator Resources

Why is the grandeur of the American landscape such a compelling subject?

How do artists create depth, light, and texture in landscape paintings?

How does an artist provide viewers a sense of scale in an artwork?

In what ways and for what purposes have people engaged with the land?

Why were serene landscapes popular during the post-Civil War era?
Grades Pre-K–3

The people we see in the painting traveled to enjoy this spot and the adventures they could have here. When you travel, and finally arrive at your destination, what are some things you do? Do you explore, go to a park, go on an adventure? Students can draw their adventure at the destination of their choice.

Grades 4–8

Imagine that you are a reporter who can travel back in time. Your assignment is to travel back to the 1860s and '70s to interview the internationally famous painter Robert Seldon Duncanson. Think about what you and your readers might want to know about the artist.

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