The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 16, 2026

A circular drawing depicts a central white swan floating on a flat gray surface of water. Facing left, the swan curves its neck into an S-shape with partially raised wings. It features a bright red beak with black markings and a small eye. Below the bird, a soft reflection mirrors its form in the water. Outside the circle in the lower left corner, the word "Swan" is written in cursive script.

Swan

1800s

Mary Altha Nims

(American, 1817–1907)
America
pencil
Gift of Richard Seymour Bayham 1934.143
Location: Not on view
  • Henry S. Francis, “Water Colors Made by the ‘Theorem Method’ and Drawings”, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 21, 1934, pp. 128-131, p. 135. www.jstor.org
  • 19th-Century American Drawings by Mary A. Nims. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 16-November 2, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=Swan|url=false|author=Mary Altha Nims|year=1800s|access-date=16 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1934.143