Niagara Falls Honeymooners

Niagara Falls Honeymooners

This is a wood engraving print entitled, "Their Bridal Tour--At Niagara Falls" that was printed in Harper's Weekly on September 29th 1888. It depicts a man and woman in what appears to be an intimate conversation, while dressed in fancy clothes with the Falls cascading behind them. This image serves to support the notion that Niagara Falls was a prominant location for couples to visit, whether they were courting or celebrating a marriage. But as John Sears explains in Sacred Places, the reason that Niagara Falls was so popular was not because of the people who visited, but rather the emotional, religious, and moral impact that the Falls had on the imagination of the American public. This image appearing in a magazine during this time must have only added to the way Americans viewed the falls as a magestic and beautiful site. It is also interesting that in the background there is a woman standing alone with an umbrella who appears to be watching wistfully as the couple converses. The impact of her gaze is especially salient since she is actually turned away from the sight of the waterfall and is instead enthralled with the couple. 


Madison Arnold-Scerbo

Charles Stanley Reinhard

Harper's Weekly 9/29/1888

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Dept. of Prints, Drawings and Photographs.
Williamstown, Mass.

Found on artstor.org

1888