Artwork Page for Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale

Details / Information for Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale

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

1815

America

Medium
black crayon and pastel, with graphite and stylus; scraped and incised in places
Support
Light brown sandpaper
Measurements
Sheet: 39.4 x 52.7 cm (15 1/2 x 20 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Clare Caldwell 1930.733
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

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.
A horizontally oriented drawing in black crayon and pastel depicts a town square flooded by churning, whitecapped waves. Multistory brick buildings rise on the left and right, framing large ships with white sails tossed amidst submerged houses. In the bottom left, two figures navigate a small boat, while a person clings to a floating plank in the lower center. Thick gray and tan clouds swirl in the upper half of the composition.

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

1815

America

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