View of the New Bridge and Westminster Abby, view from Mr. Scheve's Sugar House by Samuel Buck

View of the New Bridge and Westminster Abby, view from Mr. Scheve's Sugar House 1749

Artwork details

Dimensions
image: 27.9 × 80 cm (11 × 31 1/2 in.) sheet: 31.4 × 82.9 cm (12 3/8 × 32 5/8 in.)
Location
Harvard Art Museums
Copyright
CC0 1.0

About this artwork

Editor: This is Samuel Buck's panoramic view of the New Bridge and Westminster Abbey, made sometime in the 18th century. It has a documentary feel, almost like a photograph. What details stand out to you? Curator: I'm struck by the bustle. The Thames is a highway! Each boat, a little story. It’s a reminder that even grand architecture exists within the messy, glorious reality of daily life. The Sugar House, a witness to it all, I wonder what Mr. Scheve was thinking... Editor: I hadn't considered that. It’s like the Sugar House is another character. Curator: Exactly! And the moon… isn’t it whimsical? Perhaps Buck was reminding us of the transient nature of it all. It makes you feel wistful, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. I’ll never look at a cityscape the same way again.

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