Aurora Borealis

Frederic Edwin Church

1865 · Oil on canvas · Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)
Year: 1865
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 142.6 × 212.1 cm
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC
Movement: Hudson River School

Curtains of red, green and violet light sweep across the Arctic night above a frozen sea, where a small ship lies locked in the ice with a single lamp burning in a window. Church never saw the Arctic aurora himself. He based the painting on a sketch and description sent by his pupil, the explorer Isaac Israel Hayes, of a display he witnessed one January night at the farthest point of his expedition, over a peak Hayes had named after Church. The ship is Hayes's. Painted in 1865 as the Civil War ended, the intact vessel and its tiny light, set against the darkness, have been read as a sign of hope for the reunited nation, in deliberate contrast to the wrecked mast of The Icebergs four years earlier. The painting is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Curtains of red, green and violet over a frozen sea with one lamp burning in a locked-in ship, a night picture for a bedroom, study or den at 24×36 in black. Navy, charcoal or deep green; it suits a room that keeps its lights low.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1865)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Aurora Borealis in the public domain?

Yes. Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Smithsonian American Art Museum.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Aurora Borealis painted, and in what medium?

Aurora Borealis dates from 1865 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 142.6 × 212.1 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Frederic Edwin Church's Aurora Borealis — Aurora Borealis — the northern lights sweeping over an ice-bound ship in the Arctic night — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Wonders of the New World: The Hudson River School, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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