This Gouache (a type of opaque watercolor) is one of a pair that were painted by Maria Jay Banyer, John Jay’s daughter, when she was 18. They depict the Falls of Lodore in Cumbria County, England. Maria copied the original paintings by William Burgess. Maria was a well-educated, and talented artist who continued to draw and sketch throughout her ife. Inspired by the natural world, she collected and studied flowers during her travels in the early 1810s and 20s, and produced several sketches of Niagara Falls. To see the gouache in color, learn more about Maria, and the other fascinating women who lived at Bedford House, take our Women of the Jay Family Thematic Tour offered at 2PM every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the month of March.
