The Great Blizzard of 1899

1899

Walter Paris

Associated Names
Walter Paris

Artist, American, 1842 - 1906

The image shows an urban scene during winter with snow covering the landscape. The perspective is street level, capturing two buildings partially, one on the left with architectural details and snow-covered branches in front, and a tall building on the right with elaborate rooftop and façade covered in snow. The horizon aligns with the roofs of the buildings and the trees. The falling snow and accumulation are depicted with swirling, soft brushstrokes. The color palette includes whites, grays, and muted browns. Snow blurs the lower part of the view where small dark figures and carriages suggest movement against the snowy scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

the artist, Washington, DC; National Savings and Trust Company, Washington, DC, 1906; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1909; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1977

  • Changing Prospects: Views of America on Paper from the Corcoran Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (Tour of Canada), 1977-1979

1982

  • Washington on the Potomac, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1982, Washington, DC, p. 9

1983

  • The Capital Image: Painting and Painters in Washington, 1800-1915, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1983-1984, p. 200

1986

  • American Masters: Works on Paper from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1986-1988, pp. 40-42, no. 21, repro

1991

  • City of Magnificent Distances: The Nation's Capital, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1991-1992

Bibliography

1976

  • "The American City: A Gathering of Turn-of-the-Century Paintings." American Heritage 27, no. 3 (April 1976): pp. 34-35.

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 96, no. 624.

Inscriptions

lower left in watercolor: W. PARIS. (underlined) 1899

Wikidata ID

Q64634188

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