Floor plan

South wing: ThemesCities and Views

Cities and Views

Untitled (forest scene with bridge, cows in stream in foreground), by Edward Mitchell Bannister, 1897
Landscape Near Paris, by Georges Michel, c. 1840
View of Toledo, by El Greco, ca. 1599–1600
Seventh Regiment on Review, Washington Square, New York, by Otto Boetticher, 1851
View of Florence, by Thomas Cole, 1837
We look across and down at a channel of water separating two landmasses labeled "Boston" and "Charles Town" in this horizontal landscape painting. Four three-masted ships are in the aquamarine-blue harbor between us and the land. Three of them have their sails unfurled and smoke billows from the broad, starboard side of each. Tidy rows of brown houses line the area of Boston. A puff of white smoke rises from the farthest point. Two arrow-shaped missiles, perhaps projectiles on fire, arc toward Charles Town, where billowing gray plumes of smoke rise from vivid orange fire on the far side of the landmass. Rowboats bring soldiers to the shore of Charles Town, close to where hundreds of soldiers line up and fire at each other. Much of the rest of Charles Town is a hill leading to sheer cliffs to our right. Tan and gray-colored smoke mixes among bright white clouds against a pale blue sky on the top half of the painting.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Streets, bridges, skylines and squares: the city as painters and engravers saw it, often before photography could. Views of Venice, Paris, New York and Edo sit together here, made for travellers, for civic pride and for the plain pleasure of looking at a place.

Section 1, north wall

  1. Untitled (forest scene with bridge, cows in stream in foreground), by Edward Mitchell Bannister, 1897
    Untitled (forest scene with bridge, cows in stream in foreground)Edward Mitchell Bannister, 1897Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Landscape Near Paris, by Georges Michel, c. 1840
    Landscape Near ParisGeorges Michel, c. 1840Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. View of Toledo, by El Greco, ca. 1599–1600
    View of ToledoEl Greco, ca. 1599–1600Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 1, south wall

  1. Seventh Regiment on Review, Washington Square, New York, by Otto Boetticher, 1851
    Seventh Regiment on Review, Washington Square, New YorkOtto Boetticher, 1851Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. View of Florence, by Thomas Cole, 1837
    View of FlorenceThomas Cole, 1837Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. We look across and down at a channel of water separating two landmasses labeled "Boston" and "Charles Town" in this horizontal landscape painting. Four three-masted ships are in the aquamarine-blue harbor between us and the land. Three of them have their sails unfurled and smoke billows from the broad, starboard side of each. Tidy rows of brown houses line the area of Boston. A puff of white smoke rises from the farthest point. Two arrow-shaped missiles, perhaps projectiles on fire, arc toward Charles Town, where billowing gray plumes of smoke rise from vivid orange fire on the far side of the landmass. Rowboats bring soldiers to the shore of Charles Town, close to where hundreds of soldiers line up and fire at each other. Much of the rest of Charles Town is a hill leading to sheer cliffs to our right. Tan and gray-colored smoke mixes among bright white clouds against a pale blue sky on the top half of the painting.
    Attack on Bunker's Hill, with the Burning of Charles TownUnrecorded American maker, 1783 or afterCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Section 2, south wall

  1. Cathedral Tower, Pistoia, Italy, by Cass Gilbert, 1898
    Cathedral Tower, Pistoia, ItalyCass Gilbert, 1898Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Piazza San Marco, by Canaletto, late 1720s
    Piazza San MarcoCanaletto, late 1720sCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles, by John Vanderlyn, 1818–19
    Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of VersaillesJohn Vanderlyn, 1818–19Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Sawmill, Outskirts of ParisHenri Rousseau, c. 1893/95Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 2, north wall

  1. Life-size painting of an urban scene in Paris. A man in a top hat holding an umbrella and a woman in a long fashionable dark dress walk arm in arm toward the viewer as other city dwellers with umbrellas walk in various directions across cobblestone roads and sidewalks.
    Paris Street; Rainy DayGustave Caillebotte, 1877Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Place du Havre, ParisCamille Pissarro, 1893Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Section 3, north wall

  1. This painting depicts a square seen from above, surrounded by elegant architectural structures. On the left side, there is a large building with a red-brown facade and arched white windows with columns. On the right, there is an ornate off-white structure with arches and detailed stonework. Both of these long buildings stretch from the sides of the painting towards the center, where they converge at a gray building with tall spires and large blue domes behind it. In the square there are countless people in colorful attire, wearing shades of pink, red, blue, green, yellow, black, and blue. There are men, women, and children, and those with visible faces all appear to have light skin. Some wear white masks with bird-like noses. On the right, there is a long line of people engaging in a procession or gathering. People also line the windows of the two buildings on either side of the square. The painting is incredibly detailed, capturing architectural elements and the bustling crowd. The color palette features earthy tones for the architecture and vibrant colors for the people, all set below a pale blue sky with a few white-and-gray clouds.
    Procession in the Courtyard of the Ducal Palace, VeniceAntonio Joli, 1742 or afterCourtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The Contest for the Bouquet: The Family of Robert Gordon in Their New York Dining-Room, by Seymour Joseph Guy, 1866
    The Contest for the Bouquet: The Family of Robert Gordon in Their New York Dining-RoomSeymour Joseph Guy, 1866Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Section 3, south wall

  1. We look slightly down onto a port-side town along a canal, with a church across the water from us in this horizontal landscape painting. A bright blue sky with billowing white, pink, and gray clouds fills the top two-thirds of the painting. Below, a three-masted ship with all but one sail furled is surrounded by a couple dozen black long, low boats, gondolas, and one or two other sailboats. People stand and walk mostly in pairs and trios along the stone walkway under us, which extends into the distance to our right. The women all wear long dresses and most of the men wear suits with knee-length jackets with tails or capes, and hats. The clothing is painted in shades of brick and terracotta red, pine green, royal blue, and gray. The walkway is interrupted by two low walls that partition off an area near us. The angled roofs of stalls line the walkway in the farther distance before it is again interrupted, this time by a two-story, cream-colored building. The walkway continues as a narrower path under an arched arcade on the lower level of that building, alongside the water. On the far side of the canal, to our left and in the distance, a cluster of ivory-white buildings includes a structure with two stone-blue domes. More buildings extend into the deep distance to our left.
    Entrance to the Grand Canal from the Molo, VeniceCanaletto, 1742/1744Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome, by Léon Cogniet, 1817
    The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, RomeLéon Cogniet, 1817Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art