Skip to product information
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt

Buy With Confidence

For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.

On Approval

On Approval

Examine select works in person before you commit

125% Guarantee

125% Guarantee

Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years

Trusted Expertise

Trusted Expertise

Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists

Learn More

Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt

  • Bierstadt is widely regarded as one of the greatest American landscape painters
  • This composition captures Oregon’s Mount Hood, one of Bierstadt’s favored subjects,
  • It exemplifies the artist's mastery of atmospheric light effects that defined the American landscape
  • Bierstadt's 1863 journey through California and Oregon directly inspired this Pacific Northwest scene
  • Get complete item description here
$298,500
Item No. 32-2983

To speak to one of our experts, call 1-888-711-8084

Description
Albert Bierstadt
1830-1902 | German-American

Mount Hood

Signed "A Bierstadt" (lower right)
Oil on paper laid on canvas laid on masonite

Bierstadt is widely regarded as one of the greatest American landscape painters, employing monumental scale, dramatic illumination and atmospheric effects to communicate the grandeur of the American West. His romanticized landscapes helped shape the nation’s perception of the West, presenting its wilderness as a vast and almost paradisiacal frontier. Mount Hood. . .
Read More
Albert Bierstadt
1830-1902 | German-American

Mount Hood

Signed "A Bierstadt" (lower right)
Oil on paper laid on canvas laid on masonite

Bierstadt is widely regarded as one of the greatest American landscape painters, employing monumental scale, dramatic illumination and atmospheric effects to communicate the grandeur of the American West. His romanticized landscapes helped shape the nation’s perception of the West, presenting its wilderness as a vast and almost paradisiacal frontier. Mount Hood is a particularly evocative expression of this vision, combining topographical specificity with the heightened light and atmosphere that became hallmarks of his celebrated landscapes.

Painted circa 1889, Mount Hood exemplifies Albert Bierstadt’s masterful command of light and his ability to transform the American wilderness into an idealized vision of sublime beauty. Mount Hood was among Bierstadt’s favored subjects, and this composition depicts the iconic peak from Hood River, Oregon, looking north along the Columbia River, with the Sandy Glacier Headwall visible beneath the summit. Warm, atmospheric light bathes the scene, emphasizing the vastness and majesty of the landscape. At more than 11,200 feet, Mount Hood is Oregon’s highest point and had already captured the attention of American explorers when Lewis and Clark encountered its snow-covered peak in 1805.

Born in Solingen, Germany, in 1830, Bierstadt emigrated with his family to New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the age of two. By 1850, he was already offering painting instruction in New Bedford, Newport and Boston. He returned to Germany in 1853 to study at Düsseldorf, and after several years of training in landscape, genre and history painting, toured Europe before returning to the United States in 1857. His position as America’s leading landscape painter was firmly established following his Western expeditions, which provided material for his most acclaimed compositions. His 1863 journey through California and Oregon provided important source material for his views of the Pacific Northwest, part of a body of work that introduced American audiences to the grandeur of the West. His work earned international recognition, including representation in the U.S. Capitol.

Elected a full Academician of the National Academy of Design in 1860, Bierstadt continued producing landscapes throughout his career. His works are represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with comparable Mount Hood compositions held by the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles and the Portland Museum of Art.

Circa 1889

Canvas: 13 1/4" high x 18 1/4" wide (33.66 x 44.36 cm)
Frame: 26" high x 31" wide x 3 3/4" deep (66.04 x 78.74 x 9.53 cm)

Provenance:
Private collection, Tennessee
Private collection, United States
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
This work will be included in the forthcoming Albert Bierstadt Catalogue Raisonné, by Melissa Speidel
Read Less
Mount Hood by Albert Bierstadt
Maker: Bierstadt, Albert
Period: 1816-1918
Origin: America
Type: Paintings
Style: Hudson River School
Depth: 3.75 in. (9.53 cm)
Width: 31.0 in. (78.74 cm)
Height: 26.0 in. (66.04 cm)
Canvas Width: 18.250 in. (46.36 cm)
Canvas Height: 13.250 in. (33.66 cm)
250 Years of American Fine Art
Read More
The Art of Exploration: Wilderness and Western Painting
Read More

Buy With Confidence

For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.

On Approval

On Approval

Examine select works in person before you commit

125% Guarantee

125% Guarantee

Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years

Trusted Expertise

Trusted Expertise

Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists

Learn More

The M.S. Rau Difference

Bill Rau

Bill Rau Third-Generation Owner

Our philosophy has always been to offer clients only the very finest antiques, works of art and jewelry, and to back every transaction with the highest level of customer service. Earning your trust and delivering only the very best pieces is our top priority.

M.S. Rau is committed to offering fine art of the highest caliber and we seek paintings and sculpture by historically renowned artists, often with impressive provenance. The large majority of our works of art come from private collections; many are fresh to the market. Founded on Bill Rau’s expertise in the field, our specialisms range from Old Master pictures to Modern Art masterpieces. We regularly exhibit Dutch, Flemish, and Italian Old Masters, Academic, Orientalist, Barbizon, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Maritime & Sporting, British Neoclassical and American Illustration.

Our experienced fine art consultants offer personalized and confidential fine art consultation services to all clients. Whether you are looking to begin collecting art, grow an existing collection, or redefine your collecting strategy, M.S. Rau can support you on this journey.