Rivers in Art

Commerce, border, mirror, and metaphor — rivers organize landscapes and cities alike, from the Seine of the Impressionists to the Sumida of Edo printmakers.

976 public-domain artworks from six world museums · free to view and download

The Strange Thing Little Kiosai Saw in the River by John La Farge

The Strange Thing Little Kiosai Saw in the River

John La Farge, 1897

The Red Bridge by Julian Alden Weir

The Red Bridge

Julian Alden Weir, 1895

모래밭에 내려앉는 기러기 조선|平沙落雁圖 朝鮮|Wild geese descending to sandbar by Unidentified artist

모래밭에 내려앉는 기러기 조선|平沙落雁圖 朝鮮|Wild geese descending to sandbar

Unidentified artist, late 15th–early 16th century

View of Heidelberg by Jan Brueghel the Elder

View of Heidelberg

Jan Brueghel the Elder, ca. 1588–89

The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing: Folio from "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana by Master of the "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana

The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing: Folio from "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana

Master of the "Isarda" Bhagavata Purana, ca. 1560–65

Heart of the Andes by Frederic Edwin Church

Heart of the Andes

Frederic Edwin Church, 1859

Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat

Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte"

Georges Seurat, 1884

Arques-la-Bataille by John Henry Twachtman

Arques-la-Bataille

John Henry Twachtman, 1885

Nocturne (Nocturne: The Thames at Battersea) by James McNeill Whistler

Nocturne (Nocturne: The Thames at Battersea)

James McNeill Whistler, 1878

View on the Columbia, Cascades by Carleton E. Watkins

View on the Columbia, Cascades

Carleton E. Watkins, 1867

Black Cañon, From Camp 8, Looking Above by Timothy H. O'Sullivan

Black Cañon, From Camp 8, Looking Above

Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1871

The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull) by Thomas Eakins

The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull)

Thomas Eakins, 1871

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow by Thomas Cole

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow

Thomas Cole, 1836

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri by George Caleb Bingham

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri

George Caleb Bingham, 1845

New York from the Heights near Brooklyn by William Guy Wall

New York from the Heights near Brooklyn

William Guy Wall, ca. 1820–23

No. 88. Wingdams below Winona, Minnesota by Henry P. Bosse

No. 88. Wingdams below Winona, Minnesota

Henry P. Bosse, 1889

The Source of the Loue by Gustave Courbet

The Source of the Loue

Gustave Courbet, 1864

The Mouth of the East and West Lyn, Lynmouth, North Devon by Henry Pollock

The Mouth of the East and West Lyn, Lynmouth, North Devon

Henry Pollock, 1856

Nile, 1904 (from Sketchbook) by Mary Newbold Sargent

Nile, 1904 (from Sketchbook)

Mary Newbold Sargent, 1904

Nile, 1904 (from Sketchbook) by Mary Newbold Sargent

Nile, 1904 (from Sketchbook)

Mary Newbold Sargent, 1904

Picquigny by Frits Thaulow

Picquigny

Frits Thaulow, 1899

River Scene (Columbia _______?) (from Sketchbook) by Albert Bierstadt

River Scene (Columbia _______?) (from Sketchbook)

Albert Bierstadt, 1890

Ipswich Town, or Harbor Scene by Arthur Wesley Dow

Ipswich Town, or Harbor Scene

Arthur Wesley Dow, ca. 1893–95

Gray Weather, Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat

Gray Weather, Grande Jatte

Georges Seurat, ca. 1886–88

Mouth of Wisconsin River by Henry P. Bosse

Mouth of Wisconsin River

Henry P. Bosse, 1885

The Hudson River, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco by W. Duke, Sons & Co.

The Hudson River, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco

W. Duke, Sons & Co., late 1880s

The Little Putney, No. 1 (Little Putney Bridge) by James McNeill Whistler

The Little Putney, No. 1 (Little Putney Bridge)

James McNeill Whistler, 1879

[Yosemite National Park, California] by Carleton E. Watkins

[Yosemite National Park, California]

Carleton E. Watkins, ca. 1878

[Yosemite National Park, California] by Carleton E. Watkins

[Yosemite National Park, California]

Carleton E. Watkins, ca. 1878

The Wye and Symond's Yat. From Rocklands by Francis Bedford

The Wye and Symond's Yat. From Rocklands

Francis Bedford, 1870s

Autumn Meadows by George Inness

Autumn Meadows

George Inness, 1869

The Great Mississippi Steamboat Race–From New Orleans to St. Louis, July 1870–Between the R.E. Lee, Captain John W. Cannon and Natchez Captain Leathers–Won by the R.E. Lee, Time: 3 Days 18 Hours and 30 Minutes; Distance 1210 Miles. by Currier & Ives

The Great Mississippi Steamboat Race–From New Orleans to St. Louis, July 1870–Between the R.E. Lee, Captain John W. Cannon and Natchez Captain Leathers–Won by the R.E. Lee, Time: 3 Days 18 Hours and 30 Minutes; Distance 1210 Miles.

Currier & Ives, 1868–78

Tennessee by Alexander H. Wyant

Tennessee

Alexander H. Wyant, 1866

Vue de Saïgon (Feuille No. 1) by Emile Gsell

Vue de Saïgon (Feuille No. 1)

Emile Gsell, 1866

Vue de Saïgon (Feuille No. 3) by Emile Gsell

Vue de Saïgon (Feuille No. 3)

Emile Gsell, 1866

"Rounding a Bend" on the Mississippi – The Parting Salute by Currier & Ives|Frances Flora Bond Palmer

"Rounding a Bend" on the Mississippi – The Parting Salute

Currier & Ives|Frances Flora Bond Palmer, 1866

Battersea Reach by Sir Francis Seymour Haden

Battersea Reach

Sir Francis Seymour Haden, 1863

The Dyer's Boat (Bas-Meudon) by Félix Bracquemond

The Dyer's Boat (Bas-Meudon)

Félix Bracquemond, ca. 1868

The Steam Boats by Charles-François Daubigny

The Steam Boats

Charles-François Daubigny, 1861

Viaduc de la Voulte by Edouard Baldus

Viaduc de la Voulte

Edouard Baldus, 1861 or after

Banks of the Nile at Cairo by Francis Frith|Francis Frith and Company

Banks of the Nile at Cairo

Francis Frith|Francis Frith and Company, ca. 1857, printed 1870s

Interior of Woods with Small Stream (from Cropsey Album) by William Trost Richards

Interior of Woods with Small Stream (from Cropsey Album)

William Trost Richards, 1854

The Wharfe, Yorkshire by John Dillwyn Llewelyn

The Wharfe, Yorkshire

John Dillwyn Llewelyn, 1853–56

View of New York from New Jersey by Asher Brown Durand

View of New York from New Jersey

Asher Brown Durand, ca. 1850

The Hudson River Valley near Hudson, New York by Henry Ary|American Painter

The Hudson River Valley near Hudson, New York

Henry Ary|American Painter, ca. 1850

Burnside, Fife / Island in the Almond River by David Octavius Hill|Robert Adamson|Hill and Adamson

Burnside, Fife / Island in the Almond River

David Octavius Hill|Robert Adamson|Hill and Adamson, 1843–47

Sumidagawa Mimeguri Hana Zakari no Kei by Utagawa Hiroshige II

Sumidagawa Mimeguri Hana Zakari no Kei

Utagawa Hiroshige II

Houses at Sorrento by Thomas Hartley Cromek

Houses at Sorrento

Thomas Hartley Cromek, mid-19th century

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