Rainy Day, Boston1886
Childe Hassam painted this in 1886, aged 27. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. More about this work
About this work
The image shows a street scene from an elevated viewpoint. A horse-drawn carriage is seen moving on a wet road, reflecting light. Pedestrians with umbrellas populate the avenue. The road is visibly marked with rainwater. The skyline displays detailed architectural features like church spires and towers. The painting is done in fine, linear brushstrokes highlighting movement and atmosphere. The grayscale palette emphasizes the rainy urban setting. Wisps of steam or smoke are visible. The intricate line work and shading depict a textured, busy street under an overcast sky.
Description from the National Gallery of Art.
Childe Hassam painted this in 1886, aged 27. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
How it was made
- Opaque watercolour
- Watercolour made opaque with white or chalk and laid in flat, even layers. Persian and Indian painters ground their colours from minerals, applied them with the finest brushes and burnished the finished page.
- Charcoal
- Burnt willow or vine. It smudges and wipes away easily, which made it the natural tool for working out a composition.
- Pen and ink
- Drawn with a quill or reed pen, often with wash added by brush to model light and shadow.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The National Gallery of Art has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 2015.19.852
- Credit
- Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Type
- Drawing
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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