Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale

Description

This anonymous drawing combines a meticulous depiction of actual buildings with a wonderfully abstract rendering of waves and weather effects. The artist was led to stretch his artistic abilities because of a bizarre and memorable event: a hurricane that washed ships into the streets of downtown Providence in September of 1815.

Provenance

Mrs. Clare Caldwell, Warren, OH; the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 8, 1939)

Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale

[]

1815

Accession Number

1930.733

Medium

black crayon and pastel, with graphite and stylus; scraped and incised in places

Dimensions

Sheet: 39.4 x 52.7 cm (15 1/2 x 20 3/4 in.)

Classification

Drawing

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Clare Caldwell