—Cooper Hewitt, which holds the largest collection of Church works in the world, will showcase rarely seen sketches from the acclaimed painter’s travels—

This fall, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will present “Frederic Church in Jamaica,” featuring the artist’s rarely exhibited sketches from his 1865 travels to Jamaica. On view Friday, Oct. 30, through Monday, Feb. 15, 2027, the exhibition brings together over 60 works documenting Jamaica’s plant life and landscapes in detailed observational studies, framed within Church’s personal biography, grieving the loss of his two young children, and the wider context of a society and environment under colonial rule. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Church’s birth, the exhibition draws from Cooper Hewitt’s holdings of over 2,000 of the artists’ oil studies and graphite sketches—the largest collection of Church works in the world.

“‘Frederic Church in Jamaica’ offers a window into the creative process of one of America’s most influential artists through oil studies and ‘en plein air’ sketches, which have rarely—if ever—been publicly exhibited,” said Caitlin Condell, curator and head of Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design at Cooper Hewitt. “The 200th anniversary of Church’s birth is an ideal moment for a celebration of the artist’s extraordinary work and a reinterpretation of these objects in the context of Jamaican history. These intimate drawings, made during a period of intense grief, have a powerful resonance in our contemporary moment.”

Very detailed painted botanical sketch of three palm trees growing on a steep hillside in Jamaica. — “Palm Trees,” June 1865; Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900); Oil and graphite on paperboard; H x W: 30.3 × 50.7 cm (11 15/16 × 19 15/16 in.); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-743-c.

Painted sketch of a lone tree, half-framed to feature mostly its trunk and the leaves and vines that adorn it. — Tree with Vines, May 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 30.4 × 23 cm (11 15/16 × 9 1/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-342-a

Painted sketch of stormy valley landscape. In the foreground, small hills covered in vegetation are in shadow. — Blue Mountains near Kingston, May 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 18.2 × 35.9 cm (7 3/16 × 14 1/8 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-354-c

Highly detailed painted sketch of a mountain valley in Jamaica. — Mountain Valley, 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 21.8 × 30.2 cm (8 9/16 × 11 7/8 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-342-b

Detailed painted sketch of the top of a palm tree. — Tree Fern, 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 30.3 × 32.2 cm (11 15/16 × 12 11/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-674-a

Painted detail sketch of a short palm tree centered against a brown toned interior of a jungle. — Thatch Palm, May 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 25.4 × 27.9 cm (10 × 11 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-672-a

Detailed painted sketch of a bright green lizard with yellow eyes climbing a lightly sketched brown and grey background. — A Lizard, June 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 30.5 × 14.8 cm (12 × 5 13/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-712-b

Detailed painted sketch showing a view of a large, diagonally-growing tree in a dense rainforest. — Rainforest, 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Oil and graphite on paperboard H x W: 30.5 × 51 cm (12 × 20 1/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-678-b

Botanical study sketches showing views of four different plants in Jamaica. — Botanical Sketches, July 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Graphite on wove paper H x W: 11.5 × 19.9 cm (4 1/2 × 7 13/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-413

Detailed graphic sketch drawing of tree ensnared in a parasitic vine. — Parasite Vine and Palm Plant, June 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Graphite and gouache on wove paper H x W: 44.3 × 27.2 cm (17 7/16 × 10 11/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-11-a

Loosely sketched drawing of nighttime scene with a cluster of bamboo trees on left, and figure studies on the right. — Moonlight Bamboo and Figure Sketches, Kingston, July 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Graphite on wove paper H x W: 11.5 × 19.8 cm (4 1/2 × 7 13/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-684

Detailed pencil sketch of a fern leaves, the studies overlapping one another to create a cluster. — Botanical Sketch of Ferns, August 1865 Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826-1900) Graphite on wove paper H x W: 11.5 × 19.8 cm (4 1/2 × 7 13/16 in.) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Gift of Louis P. Church, 1917-4-431-b

Acclaimed for his monumental and astonishingly detailed landscape paintings, Church (American, 1826–1900) was an intrepid traveler and regularly journeyed around the globe seeking inspiration for his pictures. However, his April 1865 trip to Jamaica with his wife, Isabel, was in search of emotional and spiritual refuge, following the recent deaths of their two young children from diphtheria. Every day for five months, Church trekked on foot and by horse documenting the island’s topography and plant life and capturing dramatic moments of light and weather. Created during the artist’s private anguish and the public turmoil engulfing the country, where Black Jamaicans lived in extreme poverty under British colonial rule, the breathtaking sketches attest to the expressive and healing power of drawing from nature and the complexity of memory imbued in the land.

Whether executed in moments or over the course of hours, the sketches on view reveal Church’s extraordinary artistic range. The picturesque, atmospheric drawings and oil studies reflect his aspiration to accurately record details of light, color and form, but also the emotional experience of a place or scene. His graphite sketches are frequently annotated with brief notations that are both informative and poetic.

The exhibition will offer important historical context and surface the voices of Black Jamaicans, including Paul Bogle and George William Gordon, who actively addressed political tensions in the island. On view will be reproductions of period photographs (some collected by Church and some from the National Library of Jamaica), as well as rare books from Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.

Throughout the span of the exhibition, a dynamic lineup of public programs will draw in contemporary perspectives to reflect on Church’s career and the relevance of his drawings today, the economic and climate legacy of Jamaica, and the significance of observation and drawing through time. On Thursday, Nov. 12, Victoria Johnson, author of the 2026 Church biography, Glorious Country, will present an illustrated lecture that places Church within the broader global context of his time. Additional programming includes a hands-on workshop with the Smithsonian’s botanical illustrator, Alice Tangerini, highlighting the flora native to Jamaica through the practice of drawing specimens.

NEW ONLINE PLATFORM

In 2027, Cooper Hewitt will launch a digital platform offering new high-resolution photography, illustrations, slideshows and contemporary scholarship of the museum’s expansive collection of Church drawings, which span his career and represent nearly all his travels, from the Catskills to Mexico. Through newly cataloged drawings, primary sources and original scholarship, the online platform will amplify accessibility to Church’s drawings, emphasize the historical and geographic intersections of his work and encourage research and public engagement from international perspectives.

ACCESSIBILITY

Cooper Hewitt is committed to the accessibility of its spaces and materials. Image descriptions of objects on view are available on the exhibition’s accessibility webpage and in person in the Large Print Label booklet. More information about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt is available on the museum’s website.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Frederic Church in Jamaica” is organized by Caitlin Condell, curator and head of Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design, with Mackenzie Jones, collections assistant.

Exhibition design and graphic design are by TSKP x IKD.

SUPPORT

“Frederic Church in Jamaica” is made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Robert Lehman Foundation, The Lunder Foundation, The Felicia Fund and the HRBT Foundation.

ABOUT COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM

Cooper Hewitt is America’s design museum. Inclusive, innovative and experimental, the museum’s dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master’s program, publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design. An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum, education and research complex—Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City’s Museum Mile in the landmarked Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive design collections—over 215,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating to about 1100 BC to contemporary 3D-printed objects and digital code—Cooper Hewitt welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world.

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“Frederic Church in Jamaica” to Open This Fall at Cooper Hewitt as Part of Global Celebrations of Church’s 200th Birth Anniversary