Landscape, Silberhorn, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

William Trost Richards sketched this Alpine vista during his travels in Switzerland, capturing the dramatic peaks and dense forests of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Working in ink and wash on paper, Richards rendered towering evergreens with precise linear detail while keeping the distant mountains soft and atmospheric. A small human figure anchors the foreground, emphasizing the landscape's scale. This drawing exemplifies the 19th-century American tradition of landscape study abroad—artists traveled to Europe's most celebrated natural sites to sketch directly from nature, building visual knowledge they would refine into finished paintings. Richards' working method, combining careful observation with economical draftsmanship, reflects the period's commitment to landscape authenticity.