The Chapter House, St. Mary's Abbey

1853

William A. Pumphrey

Associated Names
William A. Pumphrey

Artist, British, 1817 - 1905

The image shows the remains of a structure, with a stone wall forming a horizontal line near the bottom. Ruined columns and carved stones are in the foreground, with foliage partially covering the rest of the structure behind them. Additional arches are visible in the background. The upper part of the image features the silhouettes of tree branches and leaves. The sepia tone gives an aged look, with a brown color palette. The overall impression is one of historical interest and serenity, emphasizing the contrast between the stone structure and the natural surroundings.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    albumen silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Isaacs

  • Dimensions

    image/sheet: 16.5 × 21.5 cm (6 1/2 × 8 7/16 in.)
    mount: 33.4 × 4.9 cm (13 1/8 × 1 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2018.16.4

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sale, Christie's, London, 1990); Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection, New York; gift to NGA, 2018.

Associated Names

Bibliography

2007

  • Impressed by Light: British Photographers from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860. Exh. cat. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2007: fig. 90.

Inscriptions

by artist, bottom center on applied label in graphite: 37; bottom center on applied label in black ink: The Chapter House, / St. Mary's Abbey; embossed top right: PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTIST / W. PUMPHREY / YORK; by unknown hand, bottom right in graphite: 901009✓

Wikidata ID

Q64172041

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