Julian Davidson

.Julian Davidson is a forgotten Hudson River Valley artist. Born in 1853, Davidson summered in Nyack as a young man. He met and married Cornelia Merritt whose prosperous NYC family also summered in Nyack. The Davidsons built a large three-story Victorian house with river views at 117 S. Broadway in South Nyack that still stands. Davidson died in his artistic prime at the age of 40, his wife following him in death the next year. His house and remaining works of art were auctioned off to the public in Nyack. His work is now widely scattered, and one small painting can be seen in the Nyack Library.

Davidson was a knowledgeable and skilled marine painter. He produced a number of major works depicting realistic sea battles from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and the War of 1812. He painted and made etchings of many local Tappan Zee scenes that depict Hook Mountain and the Tarrytown Light.

In addition to being a painter, Davidson sold a number of etchings to Harper’s Weekly, then the premier American magazine. With his accurate eye for detail, he was hired by the Harper brothers to tour the southern states and produce a series of etchings.

Davidson was not just a painter. He was a sportsman who, along with his brother-in-law, founded the Nyack Rowing Association in 1880. Aside from being an expert oarsman who often competed in local races, Davidson helped obtain funds to build one of the premier Victorian Hudson River boathouses on the Nyack waterfront. As a skilled athlete, it’s no wonder that many of his etchings depict athletic competitions, from rowing to “foot-ball.”

Early college football

American football began as a rather vicious English college mob game that pitted one team against another with few rules. Sometimes one entire class played another class. The game was dangerous. In the 1870s, college games played under a changing set of rules that merged soccer and rugby. Walter Camp, who was at Yale when Davidson made his etching, defined the modern game. In the 1880s, he thought to limit each side to 11 players, he introduced downs rather than “scrums,” and created regular scoring rules. By 1900, Camp would further define the modern game by adding the forward pass.

“A game of foot-ball”

Davidson’s etching is of a game between Columbia and Harvard, as seen by the C and H markings on the goalposts and on some of the jerseys. A crowd can be seen behind the players. A set of referees stands behind the scrum. The shirtless player pitches the ball from the scrum in front of Columbia’s goal. It appears like Columbia is getting the worst of the action.