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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Arch of Steel

1937

James E. Allen

Associated Names

James E. Allen

Artist, American, 1894 - 1964

The image depicts a bridge under construction with towering arches. The horizon line divides the scene, showing the sea, hills, and sky. The steel structures of the bridge dominate the view, not yet connected. The illustration style blends detailed lines with shading. Workers can be seen working on beams. A boat is visible in the distance, with smoke rising from its chimney. The sky has swirling clouds, adding depth to the monochromatic color scheme of black, white, and gray tones.

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Artwork overview

Medium

lithograph in black
Credit Line

Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Dimensions

image: 28.5 × 37.4 cm (11 1/4 × 14 3/4 in.)
sheet: 38.1 × 45 cm (15 × 17 11/16 in.)
Accession Number

2008.115.644
Catalogue Raisonné

Ryan 1984, no. 2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Reba and Dave Williams, Greenwich, Connecticut; acquired 2008 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Dave H. and Reba W. Williams

Exhibition History

1988

A Nation on the Move: Industrial Prints of America, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, 1988.

Bibliography

1984

Ryan, Mary. James E. Allen. New York: Mary Ryan Gallery, 1984, p. 7, no. 2.

Inscriptions

lower left on stone: 19©37 / JEA; lower left in graphite: 19©37 / JEA; lower right in graphite: James E. Allen

Wikidata ID

Q76442915

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