The Bronx River

New York City’s only entirely freshwater river, the Bronx River flows south from the hills of Westchester County through the city’s northernmost borough. By the end of the nineteenth century, industrial buildings were encroaching on its banks. For this painting, Lawson selected a transitional area, probably on the fringes of Bronx Park, where vestiges of rural beauty had been preserved. Applying lessons from his teachers John H. Twachtman and J. Alden Weir, he emphasized the luminous natural setting, offering, with a nondescript bridge and a partial view of a functional mill, just a hint of the transformations wrought by modern developments.