The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

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

1815

America

black crayon and pastel, with graphite and stylus; scraped and incised in places
Sheet: 39.4 x 52.7 cm (15 1/2 x 20 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Clare Caldwell 1930.733
Location: Not on view

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.
  • Mrs. Clare Caldwell, Warren, OH
    February 8, 1939
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • American Drawings from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 19-July 12, 1998).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; 4/19/98 - 7/12/98. "American Drawings from the Permanent Collection."
    Gallant Ships and Bully Boys. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-August 3, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale|url=false|author=|year=1815|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.733