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.
Provenance
Mrs. Clare Caldwell, Warren, OH; the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 8, 1939)
Accession Number
1930.733
Medium
black crayon and pastel, with graphite and stylus; scraped and incised in places
Dimensions
Sheet: 39.4 x 52.7 cm (15 1/2 x 20 3/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Clare Caldwell
Tags
Drawing Neoclassical & Romantic (1751–1850) Pastel Graphite & Pencil
Background & Context
Background Story
Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale from 1815 is an anonymous American painting depicting the Great September Gale of 1815, one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit New England in the early 19th century. The painting shows the market square of Providence during the gale, combining the topographical tradition of American scene painting with the dramatic subject of a natural disaster. The 1815 date makes this a contemporary record of the Great September Gale, one of the most destructive storms in New England history, and the painting is important as both a topographical record and a dramatic depiction of a natural disaster.
Cultural Impact
Market Square, Providence, During the Great September Gale is important in the history of American painting because it demonstrates the topographical painting tradition applied to the dramatic subject of a natural disaster. American topographical painting—depicting specific American scenes and events—was one of the most important traditions in early 19th-century American art, and the 1815 painting shows this tradition applied to one of the most destructive natural disasters in New England history.
Why It Matters
Market Square, Providence, During the Great September Gale is an anonymous American painting: a contemporary record of one of the most destructive hurricanes in New England history, depicting the market square of Providence during the 1815 gale. The painting combines the topographical tradition with the dramatic subject of a natural disaster.
