A visual history of the Erie Canal

Welcome to 40x4x28, a visual exploration of the most consequential public infrastructure project in American history. The Erie Canal, originally completed nearly 200 years ago, forever altered the face and character of the United States. These landscapes capture glimpses of places along its path at specific moments in time.

I’m pleased to announce the opening of our online store, where you can purchase high-quality prints of these Erie Canal scenes. Fine-art giclée prints, made with fade-resistant inks on archival paper, are available in unmounted and framed versions. Large (24×17) and small (19×13) posters, printed on photo satin paper, are also available. I appreciate your support!

And please check out my blog, which documents my research and work in progress.

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Taming the Genesee

The Genesee River became an increasingly unruly neighbor as the city of Rochester grew and encroached on it. In the early twentieth century, steam power and dynamite helped to put an end to its annual rampages. In the process, the river’s historic appearance disappeared forever.

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“This stupendous fabric”

Contemporary observers recognized the Rochester aqueduct — a massive stone edifice more than 800 feet long — as a monument to human resourcefulness and ingenuity. Built over the course of a few months, it turned out to be fatally flawed.

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Maude Motley and “The Romance of Milling”

Published in 1932, Maude Motley’s “The Romance of Milling: With Rochester the Flour City” remains one of our finest accounts of flour milling in Rochester. There may be many reasons why this is so, but they all boil down to this: Maude Motley was the perfect witness.