- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- The Ouse Bridge, York
- Date
- 1800
- Medium and Support
- Graphite, watercolour, pen and ink and scratching out on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 32.9 × 52.4 cm, 13 × 20 ⅝ in
- Inscription
‘Girtin 1800’ lower centre, by Thomas Girtin
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- City Life and Labour; River Scenery; Yorkshire View
-
- Collection
- Catalogue Number
- TG1649
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 382i
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001 and 2002
Provenance
Thomas Girtin (1775–1802); his posthumous sale, possibly Christie’s, 1 June 1803, lot 129, £21 10s 6d; ...Thomas Calvert Girtin (1801–74) (lent to London, 1862); then by descent to George Wyndham Girtin (1836–1912) (lent to London, 1871; London, 1873; London, 1875; London, 1877); then by descent to Thomas Girtin (1874–1960); given to Tom Girtin (1913–94), c.1938; bought by John Baskett on behalf of Paul Mellon (1907–99), 1970; presented to the Center, 1975
Exhibition History
(?) London, 1824, no.169 (Somerset House Gazette, 10 April 1824, p.9; Metropolitan Literary Journal, August 1824, pp.361–62; La Belle Assemblée, August 1824, p.276); London, 1862, no.803; London, 1871, no.100; London, 1873, no.389; London, 1875, no.119; London, 1877, no.311; Norwich, 1903, no.59; Grafton Galleries, London, 1911, no.185; Tate, 1920, no catalogue; Agnew’s, 1931, no.108; London, 1951, no.511; Agnew’s, 1953a, no.30; Sheffield, 1953, no.51; Leeds, 1958, no.49; London, 1962a, no.161; London, 1968a, no.537; Reading, 1969, no.50; Victoria, 1971, no.18; New York, 1972, no.93; Manchester, 1975, no.71; New Haven, 1977, no.118; New Haven, 1981, no.26; New Haven, 1982, VI.18.; New Haven, 1986a, no.77; Harewood, 1999, no.32; London, 2002, no.138; Richmond, Virginia, 2007, no.41
Bibliography
Lytton, 1911, no.9; Finberg and Taylor, 1917–18, p.14; Davies, 1924, pl.78; Mayne, 1949, p.103; Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.70; Holcomb, 1974, pp.50–51; Ushenko, 1979, pp.231–33, pp.300–03; Wilson and Mee, 2002, pp.85–86; Hill, 2005, p.12; Hargraves, 2007, pp.95–98; Leeson, 2021, p.118
Place depicted
Other entries in Late Watercolours:
Samuel William Reynolds and Painting for the Art Market

An Imaginary City, with Antique Buildings
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

Ancient Ruins, with an Obelisk
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Ancient Ruins, with a Gothic Church
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

A Classical Composition, with a Church and Column
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

The Arch of Janus, Rome
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Temple of Clitumnus
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: The Temple of Saturn, with the Arch of Septimius Severus
Private Collection, USA

A Town on an Estuary
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

A Lagoon Capriccio
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

An Unidentified Coastal Landscape with a Windmill
Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Exterior View of the Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory Church
Lindisfarne Priory, English Heritage

Kelso Abbey: The West Front
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

Jedburgh Abbey, from the Riverbank
The Higgins, Bedford

On the River Medway, with a Boatyard, Beached Vessels and Hulks
Private Collection

Bisham Abbey, on the River Thames
Private Collection

A Classical Composition, with Figures Admiring the Sculptures
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

An Unidentified Ruin next to a Bridge over a Stream, Said to Be Furness Abbey
Touchstones Rochdale

The Gatehouse of Morpeth Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Buildings on the River Nidd, near Knaresborough
British Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill
British Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Bridge, Morning
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from the Canal, Evening
Private Collection

A Distant View of Kirkstall Abbey
Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead

Wetherby Bridge and Mills, Looking across the Weir
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
British Museum, London

Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
Leeds Art Gallery

Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

York: The New Walk on the Banks of the River Ouse
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
Private Collection

York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right
Private Collection

A Farmyard with Barns, Ladder and Figures; A Sky Study
Courtauld Gallery, London

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Leeds Art Gallery

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

A Distant View of Ripon Minster, from the River Skell
Private Collection

Ripon Minster, from the South East
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Ripon Minster, from the South West
Private Collection

The Abbey Mill, near Knaresborough
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Mountain Stream in Spate, Possibly the River Wharfe
Private Collection

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church from across the River Wharfe
Eton College, Windsor

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
Leeds Art Gallery

Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection

Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection

The Banks of the River Wharfe, with Bolton Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection

Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

An Upland Landscape, Identified as Storiths Heights, near Bolton Abbey
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Richmond Castle, from the River Swale
Leeds Art Gallery

A Farmhouse in Malhamdale, Known as 'Kirkby Priory, near Malham'
British Museum, London

An Ancient Oak, Said to Be on the River Ure
Private Collection

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection, Norfolk

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
Tate, London

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory; The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
Private Collection, Norfolk

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Private Collection

Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Upland Landscape, Said to Show Etal Castle
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The River Tweed at Kelso, Looking Upstream
Courtauld Gallery, London

Kelso Abbey: The West Front
Private Collection, Northumberland

The Eildon Hills, from the River Tweed at Dryburgh
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Distant View of Dryburgh Abbey, with the Eildon Hills Beyond
Private Collection

The Valley of the Tweed, with Melrose Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection

Jedburgh Abbey, from Jed Water
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Jedburgh Abbey, from the South East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Village of Jedburgh
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Southampton: The South Gate and Old Gaol
Private Collection

Bristol Harbour, with St Mary Redcliffe in the Distance
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

A Wharf with Shipping, Possibly at Bristol
Art Institute of Chicago

A Rainbow over the River Exe
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

A Rainbow over the River Exe
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

A Rainbow over the River Exe
Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield

Lydford Castle, from the River Lyd
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

St Vincent’s Rocks and the Avon Gorge
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
National Gallery of Art, Washington

Conwy Castle, from the River Gyffin
Private Collection, Norfolk

Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
Tate, London

Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
Private Collection, Norfolk

A Panoramic Landscape, with Figures Trawling a Pond
Private Collection

Landscape with a Distant Ridge, Possibly Hampstead Heath
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Inn Yard, Edgware Road, Paddington
British Museum, London

The Thames from a Window of the Old Toy Inn, Hampton Court
British Museum, London

The Old Cottage, Widmore, near Bromley
British Museum, London

Shipping on the River Medway
Museum of New Zealand, Wellington

A Farmyard with Cattle, Poultry and Labourers Unloading Hay, Possibly Pinckney's Farm, Radwinter
Art Institute of Chicago

Farmhouse and Outbuildings, Possibly in Essex
Aberdeen Art Gallery

An Unidentified Village Street with a Church Tower in the Distance
British Museum, London

A Panoramic Landscape, Possibly Showing Primrose Hill, London
Private Collection

A Mountain Stream with a Watermill and Bridge
Eton College, Windsor

Unidentified Landscape with a Distant Rain Shower
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Warkworth Church, with the Bridge Beyond
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

An Italianate Landscape with Two Monks
Private Collection
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About this Work
This much faded though still compelling watercolour depicts the view from the north bank of the river Ouse looking upstream, with the bridge and St William’s Chapel in the centre and the quay of King’s Staith to the right. Girtin visited York in 1796 on his first independent tour, which took in the northern counties and the Scottish Borders, and, given that there is no evidence that he returned on either of his other documented Yorkshire tours in 1799 and 1800, it seems that he revisited earlier sketches to produce this, one of at least four views of the city that date from 1800 and 1801 (the others being TG1652, TG1653 and TG1656). Three of the watercolours conform to the standard size of the works that were disposed of by Samuel William Reynolds (1773–1835), who acted on behalf of the artist in his final years in a role somewhere between agent and dealer. Since each was also the subject of a mezzotint by Reynolds, as in this case (see print after TG1649), there is little doubt that they were executed for sale on the open market and that Girtin returned to his earlier sketches to find subjects that would make for saleable commodities.
York was not necessarily an obvious choice of subject for Girtin since, aside from the minster, the city rarely impressed visitors at this period. According to Henry Skrine (1755–1803), a ‘singular air of languor and inaction pervades the whole city’ and it was in a distressing ‘state of desertion and neglect’ (Skrine, 1795, p.xx). Edward Dayes (1763–1804), however, thought that the bridge at least provided opportunities for ‘the lover of drawing’, since ‘it composes a scene that would have delighted Canaletti, and rivals many of his finest Venetian views’. The ‘Great Council Chamber, and the Prison for Debtors and Felons’ on the bridge itself, Girtin’s master continued, combined with the ‘irregular buildings that decorate[d] the banks of the river Ouse, the craft, and a multitude of busy figures employed in loading and unloading the vessels, [to] present a fine set of objects for the attention of the draughtsman’ (Dayes, Works, pp.179–80). Girtin organised all of these elements into a simple composition in which the buildings and bridge are set across the middle ground, with coal barges, wagons and figures engaged in various labours, placed prominently in a frieze-like composition in front. To the right, a vignette of juvenile charity adds a sentimental note that, in the context of a view of a debtors’ prison and a stray anchor in the foreground, provides a rare example of an overt piece of moralising in Girtin’s work. As David Hill has noted, King’s Staith was the centre of the coal trade at this time, and he suggested that Girtin presented the ‘muddy bank’ in the foreground as an unglamourised counterpoint to the bridge, with its associations with Venice and an earlier great trading empire. For Hill, the work’s ‘muted’ palette, which sees such details ‘painted in lamp black as if Girtin was painting in coal’, was part of the process of ‘deflating’ the subject, though arguably that is putting too positive a gloss on the compromised condition of the badly faded watercolour (Hill, 1999, p.50). The blues in the sky and in the reflections in the water have long gone, as has the grey in the clouds, and I suspect that the ‘muddy bank’ in the foreground was actually originally green, though I do not think that these losses undermine the broader argument that the artist has, from an ostensible topographical subject, created a compellingly untidy image of modern commerce.
A good-quality full-scale copy of the work in the collection of York Art Gallery (see figure 1) was described by Thomas Girtin (1874–1960) and David Loshak in their catalogue of Girtin’s watercolours as ‘a very exact replica’, though they attributed it to the artist ‘with some reserve’ (Girtin and Loshak, 1954, p.186). The fact that Girtin’s signed and dated watercolour was the subject of a mezzotint by Reynolds suggests to me that it was he who was also responsible for the highly competent copy, which would have been beyond the capabilities of an amateur artist working from the print.
1800 - 1801
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
TG1652
1797 - 1798
York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
TG1653
1800
York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right
TG1656
1800
The Ouse Bridge, York
TG1649