Alexander Robertson (artist)

[6] With his brother Archibald, Robertson came to the United States to teach art at the invitation of several wealthy individuals.

Their students included John Vanderlyn, Francis Alexander, and, rare for the time, a woman miniaturist named Ann Hall.

[2] The brothers taught art to amateur and professional students with a wide variety of mediums and subjects.

[6][nb 2] Robertson exhibited at the American Academy of the Fine Arts (AAFA) in New York and was made director in 1816.

According to Elizabeth Allen, "Robertson's stylized approach reveals a preconceived notion of what a landscape should look like, based upon his exposure to the topographical tradition of Great Britain.

It was up to the next generations of American landscape artists to free themselves from the restraints of that tradition to produce drawings that were more spontaneous and more faithful to nature.

Dr. William Beekman , ca. 1795, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 7/8 x 2 3/8 in. (7.3 x 5.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum
Distant View of New York City with Hobuck Ferry House on the Left , hand-colored engraving, The British Library. [ 1 ]
Mount Vernon , after Alexander Robertson, aquatint by Francis Jukes, circa 1800