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Artist Dates: 1852 - 1929
Painting Title: Great Falls of the Saco
Painting Date: 1919
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Signature: Signed Lower Right
Provenance: Private Collection
Condition: Good Trim & Restretch
Size Unframed: 18 x 24
Size Framed: 22 x 30
Frame Condition: Mint Reproduction
Artist Best Price: $3,500
Our Price: SOLD
The Saco River runs 134 miles from Saco Lake, in New Hampshire's White Mountains, to Camp Ellis in Saco, Maine, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. In New Hampshire, the river flows quickly as it drops 1,515 feet over 45 miles. The river is slower in Maine, due to the slight elevation change—383 feet for the entire state—and the hydropower stations along the river.
Robinson writes: “This view is of the Saco in Hiram, Maine, with Baldwin township also visible. This scene is from today's Route 113, which is the most direct route between Portland and North Conway in the White Mountains, and I suspect that George McConnell traveled it many times. Today it is known as Hiram Falls and there is a hydroelectric station and dam, but in earlier times the site was known as the Great Falls, which if I had to guess would have been the name back when rail transportation came through the area. The tracks were put in right below this vantage point, and passengers stopping at the nearest station would board at "Resort" at nearby Douglas Mountain. George McConnell may have painted the scene for a summer visitor. The spot was also known as a place to watch the great log drive.”
We know that the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad was established in 1882 as a narrow-gauge railway that connected Bridgton, Maine with Hiram. The line was an important link for the Bridgton-Lakes Region area, connecting it to the outside world for both freight and passengers, which encouraged the summer tourist trade. In 1898 the line was extended from Bridgton to Harrison, at the northern end of Long Lake and operated until 1941. Given that McConnell’s painting shows, as its postcard declares, “The View from the Railroad,” Robinson is certainly correct about McConnell's perspective. It was just after the Great War, and Maine tourism was much in vogue. But there is more here too. Soon the view would be no more, and McConnell has chosen to memorialize a perfect farewell to a scene that could never be seen again. While the first dam was small its latest incarnation totally dwarfs the falls.
The painting shows McConnell’s talent persisting into his last decade, as one look at the close ups of his brushwork we have provided shows. The palette is brilliant—and we know of few other landscapists so much in touch with New England’s deep and vibrant hues. Judging by rising interest in McConnell (there are currently five bulletins posted on the database) along with rising and more frequent sales, we strongly believe this is the time to begin collecting these vivid works.
