View of the Delaware near Philadelphia

1831

Thomas Birch

Associated Names
Thomas Birch

Painter, American, born England, 1779 - 1859

This painting shows a riverside scene with calm blue waters in the background on the right. Sailing ships dot the horizon. Closer to us is the riverbank, lined with greenery and tall trees, along with a dirt path on the left and rowboats laying on the sandy shore. In the center, a group of men, women, and children appear to dance together by the bank. They all have pale skin and wear clothes in shades of yellow, white, brown, and purple, with some pops of blue, green, and red. Their clothes include dresses, shawls, jackets, trousers, and hats. Behind them on the right, two more men stand near one of the rowboats. The sky above is blue, with large, puffy, gray-and-white clouds.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection, Pennsylvania;[1] owned jointly by (James Graham & Sons, New York) and (Victor D. Spark, New York), by 1953; purchased 1955 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art.
[1] Victor Spark, in a letter of 6 June 1953 to Corcoran director Hermann Warner Williams, Jr. (in NGA curatorial files), writes: "The picture came from a private family in or near Philadelphia through an agent, and we, obviously, would have difficulty obtaining the name. It has never been on the market..."

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1831

  • Twentieth Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 2 May - 25 June 1831, no. 40.[1]

1963

  • Progress of an American Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 25 October - 29 December 1963, unpublished checklist.

1966

  • Past and Present: 250 Years of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 15 April - 15 September 1966, unpublished checklist.

1970

  • Loan for display by the Special Fine Arts Committee, U.S. Department of State, Washington, 3 April 1970 - May 1974.

1976

  • Corcoran [The American Genius], Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 24 January - 4 April 1976, catalogue with no checklist.

1988

  • Loan for display at Blair House, Washington, 10 June 1988 - 21 August 1997.

2004

  • Figuratively Speaking: The Human Form in American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 20 November 2004 - 23 May 2005, unpublished checklist.

2005

  • Encouraging American Genius: Master Paintings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte; John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2005-2007, checklist no.14.

2008

  • The American Evolution: A History through Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1 March - 27 July 2008, unpublished checklist.

2009

  • American Paintings from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 6 June - 18 October 2009, unpublished checklist.

2013

  • American Journeys: Visions of Place, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 21 September 2013 - 28 September 2014, unpublished checklist.

Bibliography

1966

  • Phillips, Dorothy W. A Catalogue of the Collection of American Paintings in The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Vol. 1: Painters born before 1850. Washington, 1966: 44, repro.

2000

  • Cash, Sarah, with Terrie Sultan. American Treasures of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. New York, 2000: 47, repro.

2011

  • Carson, Jenny. "Thomas Birch, View of the Delaware near Philadelphia." In Corcoran Gallery of Art: American Paintings to 1945. Edited by Sarah Cash. Washington, 2011: 76-77, 258, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left: Thos Birch / 1831

Wikidata ID

Q46627047

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