The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty)
1902
(French, 1864–1951)
published by
Sheet: 22.3 x 26.8 cm (8 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.); Image: 17 x 21.2 cm (6 11/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
Gift of John Bonebrake 2003.393
Catalogue raisonné: Fields p. 78, plate 28
Location: not on view
Description
The switchman’s principal duty was to switch tracks to direct an oncoming train to its destination, regulate a train’s speed, and signal the open track to the train conductor. The red and white checkered flag was used for the latter purpose and was placed on the side of the open tracks. The switchman was also responsible for manning the telegraph, whose white poles line the opposite side of the tracks. When he was off duty, the switchman grew vegetables on the bank bordering the railway, as was the custom with railway workers.- [Thomas French Fine Art]
- A Passion for Prints: The John Bonebrake Donation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 2, 2011-January 29, 2012).
- {{cite web|title=Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty)|url=false|author=Henri Rivière, Printed by Verneau|year=1902|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2003.393