Elihu Vedder: Voyage on the Nile December 16, 2011

In the late nineteenth century, Egypt fascinated Americans as a stop on the Grand Tour. Wealthy tourists and artists, including Elihu Vedder (1836-1923), followed in the footsteps of imperialists, explorers and archaeologists to marvel at wondrous pyramids, temples and the desolate beauty of the desert landscape juxtaposed with the great Nile River. The Hudson River Museum's exhibition will document Vedder's journey along the Nile. From December 1889 to April 1890, he sailed from Cairo to Aswan, and back, as the guest of George F. Corliss, of the famous Corliss Engine Company in Providence, RI.