Gallery
Oil Painting - Unknown Maker
View of the Thames, 1870
View of the Thames was originally thought to depict Putney Bridge but is in fact Cremorne Bridge at Fulham. It was completed in 1863 to carry the West London Joint Railway across from Chelsea to Clapham, a broad gauge line as the locomotive in the painting indicates. The painting captures the wonder of Victorian engineering and the power of steam in addition to the local colour of the busy riverside walk. It is now known as Battersea Railway Bridge.
Activities, discussions and questions
» Think about the composition of the painting. The artist is using certain objects in the painting to show the ends of invisible compositional lines. Artists do this to draw attention to certain things in paintings. Which objects in this painting are picked out in this way? Try printing the image out and using a pen and ruler try to find the lines.
» Discuss the importance of the railway in Victorian England. What was is used for? Why did artists think it was so important?
Oil Painting - Unknown Maker
View of the Thames, 1870
Material: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 75.5 cm x 106 x 5 cm
Place made: England
Accession No: CVCSC.0074.F
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