Note
1) The following McCord biographical materials are taken from the Askart.com
website:
"Known
for atmospheric marine and landscape paintings in oil, pastel, and watercolor and
for black and white drawings, George McCord was born in New York City and
remained primarily a resident in Brooklyn although he traveled widely and from
1883 also had a studio in Morristown, New Jersey. He was part of the second
generation of Hudson River School painters.
He studied at
the Hudson River Institute, the Claverack Academy in Claverack, New York and
with Samuel Morse and James Fairman. By 1870, he was exhibiting at the National
Academy of Design.
He made frequent
sketching trips in New England, Canada, Florida, and the Upper Mississippi and
participated in one of the exclusive excursions sponsored by the Santa Fe
Railroad to paint the Grand Canyon. He was also part of a special Erie Canal
painting trip, and was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie to paint the scenery
around his castle in Cluny, Scotland. He lived for three years in Venice and
later in Paris.
In 1880, he was
elected an Associate of the National Academy and had many exhibitions
throughout the country (Emphasis added)."
Note
2): Per the Lake George Historical Association: “Rogers' Slide is nearly eight
hundred feet in height and, to all appearances, it is a solid rock; the face of
it is good proof that it is. It is located north of Hague-on-Lake George.” It
is named after Major Robert Rogers, who lead Rogers Rangers during the French
and Indian War. In March 1758, Major Rogers, having crossed frozen Lake George
on the snow started his ill-fated attack of the French at Fort Ticonderoga upon
the land in the south bay of the slide. His intention was to go around the
mountain and surprise the French at Fort Ticonderoga, but failed in this
attempt. However, he engineered a miraculous escape by sliding 400 feet down
the side of a mountain to the frozen surface of Lake George. Thus, this rock
face became known as "Rogers' Slide."
Note
3) The following Askart.com records indicate that the highest auction price
ever paid for a McCord painting was $21,850 on 9/27/1996. Of the Askart.com 272
McCord auction offerings, not one is a drawing, and only a small handful of
watercolors were offered. The rest of the 272 works were oil paintings. The
fact that since 1987, approximately 25 years ago, the absence of any McCord
drawing on the auction block suggests that McCord drawings may be a rara avis. McCord was part of the second
generation of the Hudson River School and this well-delineated, crisp drawing
is a depiction of Rogers' Slide, located north of Hague-on-Lake George in upper
New York state, qualifies this drawing as an appropriate subject for a Hudson River
School artist, and Rogers' Slide has historic significance as it is so named
for Major Robert Rogers, leader of the famous Rogers Rangers of the French and
Indian War, which warrants a conclusion that the presale price estimate of
$200-$400 is reasonable and justifiable.