The Accident in
Lombard Street
Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827)
The Accident in Lombard Street
Philadelphia: 1787
Etching
Prints and Photographs Division
|
Renowned painter Charles Willson Peale was an advocate of art galleries
and instructive displays for the public. His portrayal of a maid's
mishap in his own Philadelphia neighborhood is a rare glimpse of
every day life in a young American city. It is also the first street
scene by an American printmaker. The story unfolds in verse: "The
pye from Bake-house She had brought/ But let it fall for want of
thought/ And laughing Sweeps collect around/ The pye that's scatter'd
on the ground." During this period, mundane urban dramas such as
this one were uncommon subjects in American prints.
Additional Views:
|