IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 753 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 17, 2009 Mr. Hinchey (for himself, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Massa, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Hall of New York, Mr. Engel, and Mr. Murphy of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Honoring the Hudson River School painters for their contributions to the United States.

Whereas the Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement led by a group of landscape painters, whose aesthetic vision was influenced by the romanticism movement; Whereas the Hudson River School is considered the first school of American Art; Whereas the major Hudson River School painters included Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, Asher Brown Durand, Jasper Francis Cropsy, Sanford Robinson Gifford, Albert Bierstadt, John Frederick Kensett, George Inness, Worthington Whittredge, and Thomas Moran; Whereas the Hudson River School paintings capture the striking naturalistic landscape and sweeping beauty of the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding New York areas, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; Whereas Hudson River School paintings served as a vital role in cultivating American identity in the mid-19th century and creating a sense of awe of the American landscape that endures today; Whereas the Hudson River School painters influenced the environmental conservation movement and the establishment of the National Park System under President Theodore Roosevelt; Whereas the Hudson River School’s portrayal of the Hudson River Valley is a major source of tourism in the region; Whereas 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the voyages of discovery made by Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain, recognizing the important role that the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley played in the development and growth of the United States; Whereas the Hudson River School painters depicted the Hudson River Valley during the opening of the Erie Canal which linked the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, and created a main trade route from New York that fostered the city’s central place in the American economy; Whereas the Hudson River School painters celebrated the ideals of American democracy, individuality, and progress; Whereas the Hudson River School painters illustrated themes such as Nature, Conservation, Civility, Unity, Education, Family, Chivalry, and Development; Whereas the Hudson River School painters expressed the sense that every generation of Americans should seek to preserve the naturalness of the continent; and Whereas the Hudson River School painters accentuated the cardinal values of the 19th century and such their ideals can assist contemporary America in the rebirth of American culture: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives recognizes and honors the Hudson River School painters for their contributions to the United States.