Henry Howard Bagg, “Untitled (Black Hawk Bluff)” Oil on Canvas, 1887

Gray clouds in an otherwise bright sky suggest changing weather in this view looking north along the Rock River. The river dominates the foreground and narrows toward a vanishing point beyond the distant bend in the river. Tree-covered Margaret Fuller Island sits to the right. The bluff where the Eternal Indian statue will one day stand is off in the distance. On the left is a cluster of buildings, possibly a farm. A brick-colored building with a dormer window sits atop the hill, almost hidden by the dark green trees growing out of the slope. A few cows graze along the river’s edge near two smaller structures, the larger of which has a single-slope roof with the door ajar. A red canoe, moored along the river’s edge, angles down into the water. The hill and bluff are both reflected in the water below the riverbanks.