Raphael Lamar West (1769-1850)

This drawing almost certainly relates to Raphael's trip to New York State in 1798 (see lot 60), although the name of this valley and the small town in its midst are unknown. It is an excellent example of Raphael's precise, documentary draughtsmanship: the vegetation on the far mountain-slopes is indicated with speckling, and Raphael has recorded not only the details of towers and spires in the township in the middle-ground, but also the figures of a ploughman and his team working in a nearby field.