Item Information
Title: Worthington Whittredge sketchbook of a trip down the Rhine River
Date: 1849
Physical Details: Sketchbook : 1 v. : various media ; 15 x 24 cm.
Description: One volume sketchbook with 63 pages. Graphite, ink, and ink wash. Whitredge kept this sketchbook during his trip down the Rhine River to Düsseldorf, Germany in 1849. On the first page there are smudged notes on color. The last page is inscribed: "J. W. Whitredge United States America," "Katrina Kemp/Margarita Claris/Drachenfels Aug. 20th" and "1849 Brussels Aug 4th," and illegible doodles. There are 19 blank pages. 21 pages have sketches on their versos. Most of the sketchbook contains images of the Rhine River valley, including architectural ruins; views of the river and hillsides; a valley between two mountains identified as "St. Goar"; six figures on a pier identified as "Pier St. Goar"; a study of a man next to four birds on a rocky ledge; panoramic landscapes identified as "the seven mountains and Drachenfels," and "near the seven mountains/ Island of nonnensworth [sic];" a drawing of a barn with a cart in front of it and a figure at the side doorway; sketches of vegetation and trees; a man under an umbrella sketching a landscape; a marsh-like setting with two figures walking on a path; two people in a boat with the forest behind them, with the inscription: "light-blue sky with dark foliage;" and sketches of cows and horses.
Condition: Both front and back covers are intact, but worn and dirty. Pages are in very good condition, with only a few bent corners.
Creator: Whittredge, Worthington, 1820-1910
Forms part of: Worthington Whittredge papers, circa 1840s-1965, bulk 1849-1908
Rights Statement: Current copyright status is undetermined
Citation Information: Worthington Whittredge. Worthington Whittredge sketchbook of a trip down the Rhine River, 1849. Worthington Whittredge papers, circa 1840s-1965. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Digital ID: 5842