Artwork

Across the Continent: "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way"

Across the Continent: "Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way" is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Frances Flora Bond Palmer. It dates from 1868 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Frances Flora Bond Palmer’s 1868 lithograph, titled *Across the Continent: “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way,”* depicts a bustling frontier settlement at the moment a locomotive arrives. The composition balances a modest schoolhouse, a vivid red railcar, and a winding river framed by distant mountains, while a solitary rider on horseback observes the scene.

Subject & Meaning

The print captures a moment of expansion, illustrating how the railroad linked isolated towns to a growing nation. By placing the train as a central, dynamic element, Palmer emphasizes progress and the transformative impact of rail travel on western communities, while the surrounding agrarian landscape hints at the continuity of everyday life amid change.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph on wove paper, the image combines hand‑applied color and selective gum arabic washes to enhance depth and texture. The lithographic process allowed Palmer to render fine architectural details and atmospheric smoke, while the hand‑coloring adds vivid accents—particularly the striking red of the train car—creating a layered visual effect.

History & Provenance

Created in 1868, shortly after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the work reflects contemporary enthusiasm for westward development. Palmer, one of the few women active in American printmaking at the time, produced the piece for commercial distribution, and it has since circulated in private collections and museum holdings that focus on 19th‑century American illustration.

Context

The lithograph belongs to a broader visual culture that celebrated the nation’s territorial growth during the post‑Civil War era. Its imagery aligns with popular literature and maps that promoted migration and investment in the West, serving both as documentation of a specific locale and as propaganda for continued expansion.