This is a drawing of a riverside cityscape with figures in the foreground. The image depicts a group of indistinct and lightly constructed figures positioned along what appears to be a waterfront or promenade. The cityscape in the background consists of sketched outlines indicating buildings with spires, rooftops, and various architectural elements, providing a distant urban backdrop. The drawing utilizes delicate lines and minimal detail. The figures in the foreground are also minimally detailed, suggesting motion and life with their fluid outlines against the structured horizon, creating a contrast between the human forms and the urban skyline.
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This is a drawing of a riverside cityscape with figures in the foreground. The image depicts a group of indistinct and lightly constructed figures positioned along what appears to be a waterfront or promenade. The cityscape in the background consists of sketched outlines indicating buildings with spires, rooftops, and various architectural elements, providing a distant urban backdrop. The drawing utilizes delicate lines and minimal detail. The figures in the foreground are also minimally detailed, suggesting motion and life with their fluid outlines against the structured horizon, creating a contrast between the human forms and the urban skyline.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Sketch of the Embankment

James McNeill Whistler

Medium
etching in brown on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 4.5 x 13.6 cm (1 3/4 x 5 3/8 in.) sheet: 13.5 x 22 cm (5 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1987.41.72
Credit line
Gift of John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
Time span
1826 to 1850
Department
CG-W

Subjects and terms

  • amusement
  • genre
  • American
  • etching
Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 50080). Given by John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1987.  

Inscription

lower right in graphite: Sketch on the Embankment / 4; lower left verso in graphite: a50080 R10446

Watermarks

partial, horned crown

NGA object ID 70124. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.