Edwin Booth's Boat House, Near Newport, August 6, 1884

About the Artwork

Woodbridge, a Philadelphia socialite, was a gifted amateur photographer active from 1884 through 1915. This stark seascape is an excellent early example of her photographs that stress light and atmospheric effects. The boathouse provides a sense of scale in this grand, sweeping scene dominated by a rocky beach and cloud-filled sky. Her photographs are distinguished by a successful union of factual detail and broad tonal effects.

Inscriptions

Written in pencil on recto: "20"; in pencil on verso: "Aug 6th 1884. Edwin Booth's Boat House / Near Newport. Aug 6th AM"

Provenance

Estate of the Artist

Exhibition history

Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).

Quick Overview

Artist: Louise Deshong Woodbridge (American, 1848–1925)
Date: 1884
Medium: albumen print from gelatin dry plate negative
Dimensions: Image: 11.5 x 19.4 cm (4 1/2 x 7 5/8 in.); Matted: 40.6 x 50.8 cm (16 x 20 in.)
Type: Photograph
Classification: Photograph
Department: Photography
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1994.280

More by Louise Deshong Woodbridge in museum collections

Avondale
Louise Deshong Woodbridge
c. 1885 · Photograph
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of ArtAT-00013152

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.