Sketchbook: British Isles
1891
William Trost Richards
American, 1833-1905
American Art
In continual search of dramatic coastal topography, Richards embarked on another tour abroad in the summer of 1891 that included an expedition to the remote reaches of northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim is a remarkable geological formation of faceted volcanic rock (basalt) eroded over the ages by the action of wind, rain, and waves into huge, mostly hexagonal, columns that form a natural stairway from a cliff into the sea. Local legend attributed the site to the Irish giant Finn McCool, said to have wanted to walk to Scotland without wetting his feet. The more prosaic lava-flow explanation was put forward in 1771.
- Maker/Artist
- Richards, William Trost
- Classification
- Drawing
- Formatted Medium
- Graphite on white paper
- Dimensions
- 4 3/4 x 7 1/2 in. (85 pages)
- Inscribed
- See description
- Departments
- American Art
- Accession Number
- 1993.225.5
- Credit Line
- Gift of Edith Ballinger Price
- Rights Statement
- No known copyright restrictions
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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