Description
| Title: | The Great Laundry Boat at Charenton Bridge |
| Other titles: | The Laundry Boat of Pont de Charenton; Le Bateau-lavoir du Pont de Charenton (the museum’s titles) |
| Painter: | Henri Rousseau |
| Year painted: | about 1897–1903 |
| Original size: | 46 cm x 55.4 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | naive art (primitivism) |
| Held at: | Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, USA |
| Our reproduction: | hand-painted oil on canvas, eight sizes or a size made to order |
The Great Laundry Boat at Charenton Bridge is a painting by Henri Rousseau, oil on canvas, dated about 1897–1903 by the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. What you see: a white floating laundry moored at a river bank, an angler on the shore and a boat full of tiny figures under a big sky of clouds. We paint it by hand in oils, in eight sizes or to measure, and send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
The Great Laundry Boat at Charenton Bridge
What is on the canvas?
Across the middle lies a long white laundry boat with black chimneys and the lettering GRAND BATEAU LAVOIR DU PONT DE CHARENTON. On the left bank an angler stands with his rod, and in front of him on the water is a rowing boat with tiny figures in hats. Reeds and tall grass grow in the foreground; on the far bank rise a factory chimney and a mill building, and at the right white houses line the quay. Above it all, big white clouds pile up in a blue sky. The signature, H. Rousseau, is at the lower left. Another river scene by the same painter is View of the Bridge at Sèvres.
What does the painting mean?
Laundry boats were floating wash-houses moored along the banks around Paris, where laundresses washed linen. The Barnes Foundation writes that Rousseau liked to paint quite unremarkable views of Paris and its outskirts, and that at first glance this painting is a straightforward record of a laundry boat and some anglers. The museum then points to its odd scale: the figures in the boat are tiny next to the angler on the bank. Unexpected jumps in size like this are what give Rousseau’s landscapes their dreamlike calm. Another view of the outskirts of Paris is Environs de Paris.
Which size suits which room?
The original is 46 cm high and 55.4 cm wide; 70 x 58 cm keeps its proportion most exactly. Eight sizes are available: 70 x 58, 85 x 71, 100 x 80, 110 x 90, 120 x 100, 160 x 133, 180 x 150 and 200 x 160 cm. Because the figures on the water are small, we recommend 110 x 90 cm or larger for a living room; the smaller sizes suit a hallway, a study or a bathroom, where the painting is seen up close. Above a sofa the painting usually takes about two thirds of the width of the furniture; above a bed it should stay narrower than the headboard. Custom sizes are ordered through the made-to-order painting page, where you enter the width and height; we suggest keeping the proportion of the original and changing only the scale. Another river bank outside Paris by the same painter is The Banks of the Bièvre near Bicêtre.
How is the painting made, and does it come framed?
Your canvas is begun only after you order it, and is painted by hand in oils in our workshop in Slovenia, at the size you choose. The painter lays in the cloudy sky and the water first, then the far bank with its houses and chimney, then the laundry boat and its lettering, and last the angler, the boat of figures and the reeds in front. We do not print, and no machine application is used, so no two versions are exactly alike. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and arrives ready to hang; a picture frame is not included in the price and is chosen separately. Before packing we photograph the finished painting and send you the photograph for approval; only then does it travel. A Paris park with tiny strollers by the same painter is View of Montsouris Park, the Kiosk. The whole collection is in the Henri Rousseau gallery.
How is it delivered, and what do we guarantee?
We deliver to Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Germany. Depending on its size, the canvas travels rolled in a rigid tube or stretched on its frame, always in protective wrapping and as a tracked parcel. The making time depends on the size and is confirmed when you order. We guarantee that every painting is painted by hand and that you see a photograph of the finished work before dispatch; if anything in it is not as you wish, we correct it before it leaves the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original kept?
At the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
When was it painted?
About 1897–1903, the dating the museum gives.
Is a frame included?
No. The canvas is stretched on a wooden frame and ready to hang without a picture frame; a frame can be chosen separately.
Is this a print?
No. It is painted by hand in oils, and the layers of paint can be seen and felt.
Is the painting suitable as a gift?
Yes, especially for someone who loves rivers, fishing and old Paris. If you would rather the recipient chose, there is a gift voucher.
- Subject: a white laundry boat at a river bank by Charenton Bridge, an angler on the shore and a boat of tiny figures.
- Original: oil on canvas, 46 x 55.4 cm, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia; about 1897–1903.
- Our version: hand-painted oil, eight sizes from 70 x 58 to 200 x 160 cm or to measure, unframed, photograph before dispatch.
- Of note: according to the museum, Rousseau liked to paint everyday views of Paris and its outskirts.
