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Works Thomas Girtin

A Sheet of Figure Studies: Women Washing Clothes at a River

1801 - 1802

Primary Image: TG1901: Thomas Girtin (1775–1802), A Sheet of Figure Studies: Women Washing Clothes at a River, 1801–02, graphite on wove paper, 11 × 17.7 cm, 4 ⅜ × 7 in. Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford (WA1912.4.3).

Photo courtesy of Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford (All Rights Reserved)

Description
Creator(s)
Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
Title
  • A Sheet of Figure Studies: Women Washing Clothes at a River
Date
1801 - 1802
Medium and Support
Graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
11 × 17.7 cm, 4 ⅜ × 7 in
Object Type
Outline Drawing
Subject Terms
Figure Studies

Collection
Catalogue Number
TG1901
Girtin & Loshak Number
484b as 'Two women washing clothes at a stream'
Description Source(s)
Viewed in 2001 and 2018

Provenance

Thomas Calvert Girtin (1801–74); then by descent to George Wyndham Hog Girtin (1836–1912); then by a settlement to his sister, Mary Hog Barnard (née Girtin) (1828–99); then by descent to Francis Pierrepont Barnard (1854–1931); presented to the Museum, 1912

Bibliography

Brown, 1982, p.342, no.747 as 'Presumably another Paris study'

About this Work

David Brown, in his catalogue of the drawings in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, has suggested that this sheet of studies of women washing clothes in a river was made from life during Girtin’s stay in Paris during the winter and early spring of 1801–2 (Brown, 1982, p.342). The drawing is mounted together with two other small sheets of figure studies that were almost certainly made in France (TG1899 and TG1900), and the subject itself was a familiar one with travellers to the French capital, who often commented on the ‘picturesque’ sight of numerous washerwomen at work on the banks of the Seine. No such figures populate any of Girtin’s Paris prints, however. Although it is certainly possible that the sheet was made on the trip to France with the intention of including the figures in one of the artist’s works, the nearest equivalent to this group that I can find is in a late view of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders (TG1723). And, even then, it is by no means clear that the women were sketched from life, as they also bear a more than passing resemblance to figures found in the prints after Marco Ricci (1676–1730) that Girtin made a number of copies from at around about this date (see TG1723 figure 2). It may be that the drawing is on the same paper as the other two French studies, and knowing this for certain would help with assessing its status, but, even if it was made in Paris, there is still a good chance that the images were taken from another source, rather than having been sketched from life on the Seine. It is also possible that the sheet has been cut down to make a more coherent group, as what appears to be an unrelated male figure at the top has been cropped. 

1801 - 1802

A Sheet of Figure Studies

TG1899

1801 - 1802

A Sheet of Figure Studies Relating to ‘Picturesque Views in Paris’

TG1900

1800 - 1801

Jedburgh from the River, with the Abbey Beyond

TG1723

by Greg Smith

Other entries in Picturesque Views in Paris and Other French Subjects

Thomas Girtin

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Quai d’Orsay: Pencil Study for Plate One of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Quai d’Orsay: Pencil Study for Plate One of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Quai d’Orsay: Colour Study for Plate One of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Quai d’Orsay: Colour Study for Plate One of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Louvre and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont Neuf: Pencil Study for Plate Two of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Louvre and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont Neuf: Pencil Study for Plate Two of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Louvre and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont Neuf: Colour Study for Plate Two of Picturesque Views in Paris

Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

The Louvre and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont Neuf: Colour Study for Plate Two of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Ile de la Cité, with the Louvre and the Pont Neuf in the Distance, Taken from the Pont Marie: Pencil Study for Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Ile de la Cité, with the Louvre and the Pont Neuf in the Distance, Taken from the Pont Marie: Pencil Study for Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin, Unknown Artist

Paris with the Louvre, Taken from the Pont Marie: Copy of Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

Paris with the Louvre, Taken from the Pont Marie: Copy of Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Ile de la Cité, with the Louvre and the Pont Neuf in the Distance, Taken from the Pont Marie: Colour Study for Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris

Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin – Madison

The Ile de la Cité, with the Louvre and the Pont Neuf in the Distance, Taken from the Pont Marie: Colour Study for Plate Three of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Pont Saint Michel, from the Pont Neuf: Pencil Study for Plate Four of 'Picturesque Views in Paris'

British Museum, London

Pont Saint Michel, from the Pont Neuf: Pencil Study for Plate Four of 'Picturesque Views in Paris'
Thomas Girtin

Pont Saint Michel, from the Pont Neuf: Colour Study for Plate Four of 'Picturesque Views in Paris'

Private Collection

Pont Saint Michel, from the Pont Neuf: Colour Study for Plate Four of 'Picturesque Views in Paris'
Thomas Girtin

Paris: The Isle de la Cité and the River Seine, Taken from the Pont Neuf

Private Collection

Paris: The Isle de la Cité and the River Seine, Taken from the Pont Neuf
Thomas Girtin

A Panoramic View of Paris from Chaillot, Looking up the Seine with the Dome of Les Invalides: Pencil Study for Plate Five of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

A Panoramic View of Paris from Chaillot, Looking up the Seine with the Dome of Les Invalides: Pencil Study for Plate Five of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Panoramic View of Paris from Chaillot, Looking up the Seine with the Dome of Les Invalides: Colour Study for Plate Five of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

Panoramic View of Paris from Chaillot, Looking up the Seine with the Dome of Les Invalides: Colour Study for Plate Five of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Banks of the Seine, with the Dome of Les Invalides

Private Collection

The Banks of the Seine, with the Dome of Les Invalides
Thomas Girtin

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal: Pencil Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal: Pencil Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Pencil Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Pencil Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Colour Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Tuileries Palace and the Pont Royal, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Colour Study for Plate Six of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont Neuf, Part of the Louvre, Notre Dame and the College of the Four Nations: Pencil Study for Plate Seven of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Pont Neuf, Part of the Louvre, Notre Dame and the College of the Four Nations: Pencil Study for Plate Seven of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont Neuf, Part of the Louvre, Notre Dame and the College of the Four Nations: Colour Study for Plate Seven of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Pont Neuf, Part of the Louvre, Notre Dame and the College of the Four Nations: Colour Study for Plate Seven of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont Neuf and the Mint: Pencil Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Pont Neuf and the Mint: Pencil Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont Neuf and the Mint: Colour Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris

National Gallery of Art, Washington

The Pont Neuf and the Mint: Colour Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Part of the Pont Neuf, with the Mint: Pencil Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

Part of the Pont Neuf, with the Mint: Pencil Study for Plate Eight of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont au Change, the Théâtre de la Cité, the Pont Neuf and the Conciergerie Prison, Taken from the Pont Notre Dame: Pencil Study for Plate Nine of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Pont au Change, the Théâtre de la Cité, the Pont Neuf and the Conciergerie Prison, Taken from the Pont Notre Dame: Pencil Study for Plate Nine of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont au Change, the Théâtre de la Cité, the Pont Neuf and the Conciergerie Prison, Taken from the Pont Notre Dame: Colour Study for Plate Nine of Picturesque Views in Paris

Aberdeen Art Gallery

The Pont au Change, the Théâtre de la Cité, the Pont Neuf and the Conciergerie Prison, Taken from the Pont Notre Dame: Colour Study for Plate Nine of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Porte Saint-Denis, Viewed from the Suburbs: Possible Colour Study for Plate Ten of Picturesque Views in Paris

Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris

The Porte Saint-Denis, Viewed from the Suburbs: Possible Colour Study for Plate Ten of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Porte Saint-Denis, Viewed from the Suburbs: Possible Colour Study for Plate Ten of Picturesque Views in Paris

Tate, London

The Porte Saint-Denis, Viewed from the Suburbs: Possible Colour Study for Plate Ten of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont de la Tournelle and Notre Dame, Taken from the Arsenal: Pencil Study for Plate Eleven of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Pont de la Tournelle and Notre Dame, Taken from the Arsenal: Pencil Study for Plate Eleven of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pont de la Tournelle and Notre Dame, Taken from the Arsenal: Colour Study for Plate Eleven of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Pont de la Tournelle and Notre Dame, Taken from the Arsenal: Colour Study for Plate Eleven of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Colour Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris

Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Colour Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Pantheon, from the Arsenal, Looking across the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Twelve of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Bellevue and the Pont de Sèvres, Taken from near the Pont de Saint-Cloud: Pencil Study for Plate Thirteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

Bellevue and the Pont de Sèvres, Taken from near the Pont de Saint-Cloud: Pencil Study for Plate Thirteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Bellevue and the Pont de Sèvres, Taken from the Terrace near the Pont de Saint-Cloud: Colour Study for Plate Thirteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

Bellevue and the Pont de Sèvres, Taken from the Terrace near the Pont de Saint-Cloud: Colour Study for Plate Thirteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Palace and Village of Choisy from the Banks of the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Fourteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Palace and Village of Choisy from the Banks of the Seine: Pencil Study for Plate Fourteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Palace and Village of Choisy from the Banks of the Seine: Colour Study for Plate Fourteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Palace and Village of Choisy from the Banks of the Seine: Colour Study for Plate Fourteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Water Works at Marly, Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Distance: Pencil Study for Plate Fifteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Water Works at Marly, Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Distance: Pencil Study for Plate Fifteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Water Works at Marly, Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Distance: Colour Study for Plate Fifteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Water Works at Marly, Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the Distance: Colour Study for Plate Fifteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The View from the Palace Terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Aqueduct of Marly in the Distance: Pencil Study for Plate Sixteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The View from the Palace Terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Aqueduct of Marly in the Distance: Pencil Study for Plate Sixteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The View from the Palace Terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Aqueduct of Marly in the Distance: Colour Study for Plate Sixteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

The View from the Palace Terrace at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the Aqueduct of Marly in the Distance: Colour Study for Plate Sixteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Village of Chaillot, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Pencil Study for Plate Seventeen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Village of Chaillot, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Pencil Study for Plate Seventeen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Village of Chaillot, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Colour Study for Plate Seventeen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

The Village of Chaillot, Taken from the Pont de la Concorde: Colour Study for Plate Seventeen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Saint-Cloud and Mont Calvaire, Taken from the Pont de Sèvres: Pencil Study for Plate Eighteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

Saint-Cloud and Mont Calvaire, Taken from the Pont de Sèvres: Pencil Study for Plate Eighteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

Saint-Cloud and Mont Calvaire, Taken from the Pont de Sèvres: Colour Study for Plate Eighteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

Saint-Cloud and Mont Calvaire, Taken from the Pont de Sèvres: Colour Study for Plate Eighteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Banks of the Marne below the Bridge at Charenton: Pencil Study for Plate Twenty of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Banks of the Marne below the Bridge at Charenton: Pencil Study for Plate Twenty of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Banks of the Marne below the Bridge at Charenton: Colour Study for Plate Twenty of Picturesque Views in Paris

Untraced Public Collection, Israel

The Banks of the Marne below the Bridge at Charenton: Colour Study for Plate Twenty of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Champ de Mars, Seen from the Trocadéro, with Sèvres in the Distance: Unused Pencil Study for Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Champ de Mars, Seen from the Trocadéro, with Sèvres in the Distance: Unused Pencil Study for Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton, near Paris

British Museum, London

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton, near Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton: Pencil Study for Plate Nineteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

British Museum, London

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton: Pencil Study for Plate Nineteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton: Colour Study for Plate Nineteen of Picturesque Views in Paris

Private Collection

The Watermill above the Bridge at Charenton: Colour Study for Plate Nineteen of Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

La Rue Saint-Denis, Paris: A Scene for Thomas Dibdin's Pantomime Harlequin's Habeas

Private Collection, Norfolk

La Rue Saint-Denis, Paris: A Scene for Thomas Dibdin's Pantomime Harlequin's Habeas
Thomas Girtin

Paris: Porte Saint-Denis and the Boulevard Saint-Denis

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Paris: Porte Saint-Denis and the Boulevard Saint-Denis
Thomas Girtin

Part of the Tuileries Palace with the Louvre (Place du Carrousel)

The Higgins, Bedford

Part of the Tuileries Palace with the Louvre (Place du Carrousel)
Thomas Girtin

Part of the Tuileries Palace with the Louvre (Place du Carrousel)

Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin

Part of the Tuileries Palace with the Louvre (Place du Carrousel)
Thomas Girtin

Paris: View over the Rooftops towards Montmartre

British Museum, London

Paris: View over the Rooftops towards Montmartre
Thomas Girtin, Jean-Baptiste-François Génillion

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny

Tate, London

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny
Thomas Girtin, Jean-Baptiste-François Génillion

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny

The Whitworth, The University of Manchester

Paris: The Ruins of the Roman Baths, Hôtel de Cluny
Thomas Girtin

A Sheet of Figure Studies

Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Sheet of Figure Studies
Thomas Girtin

A Sheet of Figure Studies Relating to Picturesque Views in Paris

Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Sheet of Figure Studies Relating to Picturesque Views in Paris
Thomas Girtin

A Sheet of Figure Studies: Women Washing Clothes at a River

Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Sheet of Figure Studies: Women Washing Clothes at a River
Thomas Girtin

Studies of Women and Men, Including an Advocate Pleading

Private Collection

Studies of Women and Men, Including an Advocate Pleading
Thomas Girtin

A Cleric Preaching from a Pulpit

Private Collection

A Cleric Preaching from a Pulpit
Thomas Girtin, Jean-Baptiste Lallemand

Paris: The Hôtel de Ville and the Church of Saint-Jean-en-Grève

Private Collection, Norfolk

Paris: The Hôtel de Ville and the Church of Saint-Jean-en-Grève
Thomas Girtin, Jean-Baptiste Lallemand

Lyon Cathedral

British Museum, London

Lyon Cathedral
Thomas Girtin, Tavernier de Jonquières

The Church of Saint Corneille at Compiègne

Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Church of Saint Corneille at Compiègne
Thomas Girtin, Tavernier de Jonquières

The Porte Chapelle, Compiègne

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Porte Chapelle, Compiègne
Thomas Girtin, Jacques Swebach-Desfontaines

Paris: The Entrance to the Hôtel du Grand Prieur du Temple

British Museum, London

Paris: The Entrance to the Hôtel du Grand Prieur du Temple
Thomas Girtin, Tavernier de Jonquières

An Interior View of the Nave of Laon Cathedral

British Museum, London

An Interior View of the Nave of Laon Cathedral
Thomas Girtin, Herman van Swanevelt

A Wooded River in an Extensive Landscape

Private Collection

A Wooded River in an Extensive Landscape
Thomas Girtin, Herman van Swanevelt

A River Scene with a Castle on a Cliff

Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A River Scene with a Castle on a Cliff
Thomas Girtin, Herman van Swanevelt

A Wooded Landscape with a Hermit

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A Wooded Landscape with a Hermit
Thomas Girtin

Buildings by a Road, with Passing Figures

Private Collection

Buildings by a Road, with Passing Figures
Thomas Girtin

A Village Scene

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A Village Scene

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