"Market Square, Providence, Rhode Island, During the Great September Gale", Unknown, 1815
Unknown (American, 19th century)
Black crayon and pastel, with graphite and stylus; scraped and incised in places; 39.4 x 52.7 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Clare Caldwell 1930.
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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.
-The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Source and download: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.733