The Broad Bridge / James McNeill Whistler
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1954/1.417
- Title
- The Broad Bridge
- Artist
- James McNeill Whistler
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- 1834-1903
- Medium and Support
- lithotint with scraping, printed in brown ink on Japan paper, laid down on heavy wove paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1878
- Object Creation Place
- North and Central America (continent)
- United States (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- North and Central America (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- United States (nation)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- Inscription
- On the stone: Butterfly monogram Collector's stamp: on verso, T.R.W. (in rectangle) Thomas Robert Way. Lugt 2456.
- Dimensions
- 28.4 cm x 43.4 cm (11 3/16 in. x 17 1/16 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Physical Description
- A man in a small boat with oars sits in front of a bridge, a pier of which is just behind and to the left of the boat. The viewer is also positioned on the water as only the bottom of the span is visible. Several other piers, also framed and clad with wood to protect against collision are visible on either side of the image. The distant view, seen between the piers, include a suspension bridge to the left of the central pier and the tower of a church or other buildings to the right.
- Subject Matter
- Whistler's interest in Asian art, particular Japanese woodblock prints, can be seen in this view of the old Battersea Bridge. The low vantage point, truncated span of the bridge, and the form of the boatman are all inspired by prints by Hiroshige and Hokusai.
- Battersea Bridge was the last remaining wooden bridge in London when Whistler painted it and was itself slated for demolition and replacement. Like many of the warehouses and sites depicted in his Thames Set which were also scheduled for elimination as part of an urban renewal project, the old Battersea Bridge evoked a nostalgia for the passing of an era.
- Secondary Keywords
- architecture
- bodies of water and components of bodies of water
- buildings and the land
- landscapes (environments)
- natural landscapes
- objects
- objects we use
- settlements and landscapes
- single built works
- single built works by function
- single built works by specific type
- the natural world
- transportation structures
- transportation structures by form
- transportation vehicles
- vehicles
- watercraft
- watercraft by general type
- waterscapes
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 1319 x 845
- File Size
- 148 KB
- Record
- 1954/1.417
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.417/1954_1.417.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.417:1954_1.417.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"The Broad Bridge; James McNeill Whistler." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.417/1954_1.417.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.