# Rainy Day, Boston

**Childe Hassam** (American, 1859–1935)  
1886  
pen and black ink, charcoal, and gouache on wove paper  
image: 21.59 × 27.31 cm (8 1/2 × 10 3/4 in.) sheet: 26.35 × 31.43 cm (10 3/8 × 12 3/8 in.)

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2015.19.852. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.180939.html).

## About this work

Childe Hassam painted this in 1886, aged 27. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

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._

### 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.

### [Childe Hassam](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/childe-hassam)

American, 1859–1935

## Facts

- Type: Drawing
- The artist was 27
- Real size: about 8½ × 11 in (22 × 27 cm). The 8 × 10 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Rain, Boston, cityscape
- Colour: white
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1686.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1686/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/rainy-day-boston-nga-180939).