Golden Gate, 1904 (from Sketchbook)
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
5 7/8 x 8 5/8 in. (14.9 x 21.9 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond, 1950
Accession Number
50.130.151u recto
Art Historical Context
Mary Newbold Sargent's *Golden Gate, 190 (from Sketchbook)* a intimate glimpse into early 20th-century American travel and observation. Rendered in graphite on a modest sheet of paper measuring just 5 7/8 x 8 5/8 inches, this sketch captures the dramatic vista of the Golden Gate iconic strait at the entrance to San Francisco Bay—long before the famous bridge spanned it. Created during a time when Americans were increasingly exploring the nation's western frontiers by rail and ship, the drawing reflects Sargent's keen eye for natural landmarks and her portable sketching practice. As a work in ...
About the Artist
Mary Newbold Sargent · 1826–1906
Mary Newbold Sargent (née Singer, 1826–1906) was born on April 24, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Singer, a tanner and merchant, and Mary Smith Newbold. She married Dr. FitzWilliam Sargent, an eye surgeon, on June 27, 1850, in Philadelphia. The death of their first daughter, Mary Newbold Sargent (1851–1853), triggered a profound emotional crisis for Mary, prompting the family to aban...