Carr's Hill

Carr's Hill. George Cooke. You are standing at the foot of the hill where distinguished American artist George Cooke (1793-1849) painted View of Athens from Car's Hill in 1845. , Image caption: One of George Cooke's most famous paintings, Interior of St. Peter's, Rome, completed in 1847. In 1867, the painting was donated to the University of Georgia by industrialist Daniel Pratt. It is on permanent display in the Chapel on UGA's North Campus. At 17 feet by 231/2 feet, it is one of the world's largest framed oil paintings. The Chapel was extended to accommodate this enormous work of art. (inset): 1910 view of the Chapel before the bell tower was removed. , Image caption: Beginning in 1820, George Cooke traveled throughout Europe and theUnited States painting portrait and landscapes. In 1848, Cooke decided to make his permanent home in Athens which he called, "his favorite classical city", and where he and his wife enjoyed, "the hospitality of the truly Athenian people". Unfortunately, Cooke died in 1849 of Asiatic cholera during a business trip to New Orleans. , Image caption: (right): Cooke's View of Athens from Carr's Hill provides a wealth of information about life in Athens in the 1840s. the foreground shows the terminus of the Georgia Railroad, completed in 1841, a stagecoach traveling east on the Old Stagecoach Road, and cotton bales ready for shipment. The middle ground shows the bridge across the North Oconee River, the Athens Factory on the river's bank, and wagons and horses traveling from Carr's Hill to downtown. The background shows Oconee Street and the classic architecture of the University of Georgia on the left and the city of Athens on the right.