MS01.01.03.B02.F10.028

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American art and the friendly associations the artist had made with the landscape masters of his day. The Cincinnati City Directory listed him as a daguerrotype artist in the year 1853. Evidence of his familiarity with the camera can be found in his View of Cincinnati, Ohio From Covington, Kentucky, one of the few surviving paintings of a city scene in early 19th century American art. [crossed-out: 17] 20
It was during the year 1853 that Duncanson first travelled to Europe where he sought the company of another Cincinnati artist working in Italy by the name of William Sonntag. Duncanson's trip had been made possible by the financial support he [crossed-out: had] received from the Anti-slavery League. During his stay in Italy, his work shifted in content and technical competency and [crossed-out: was then] became more closely identified with classical subjects similar to those done by Sonntag and Cole. His several landscape versions of the classical ruins of Pompeii and other popular 19th century Italian [crossed-out: ruins]scenes show his devotion to the ideals of the rebirth of neo-classic themes and a continuing interest in a romantic treatment of landscape regardless of its geographic location.
The next side of the indefatigable Duncanson [crossed-out: 's artistry] appears as a result of his love [crossed-out: of] and thorough knowledge of English literature. In 1861 he began working on a large composition which had been inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's literary work, "Lotus Eaters". [crossed-out: 18] 21 Tennyson is said to have seen the work and reportedly looked upon it with great favor. The artist's return to the United States in 1862 was not without incident as he was duly reminded of the conflicts then persisting in American society regarding the value of human worth; the retention of slavery or its abolition, which culminated in the Civil War. He
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[crossed-out: 17] 20The Cincinnati Museum, Robert S. Duncanson: A Centennial Exhibition, Essay by Guy McElroy, March 16 - April 30, 1972, p. 11.
[crossed-out: 18] 21Porter, Op. Cit., p. 134.