Royal Exchange Place, Glasgow

Accession Number
1949/1.119

Title
Royal Exchange Place, Glasgow

Artist(s)
Sir Muirhead Bone

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
1896-1925

Medium & Support
pen and watercolor on paper

Dimensions
2 3/16 in x 4 1/2 in (5.6 cm x 11.4 cm);2 3/16 in x 4 1/2 in (5.6 cm x 11.4 cm);10 1/8 in x 12 in (25.72 cm x 30.48 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Carl Fredric Clarke

Subject matter
The drawing depicts a bustle of activity in central Glasgow's Royal Exchange Place, the square in front of the Royal Exchange building, the colonnades of which are seen in the background.
The style of the drawing, which is built up from an array of slash-like lines, recalls the effects of drypoint etching. This was a process Bone used frequently in his printed work, and it is feasible that this image was intended for reproduction as a print. However, a print by Bone using this composition is not known.

Physical Description
A large crowd of men—almost all of whom wear top hats—women, and children congregate in an urban setting. In the left foreground a woman in a blue dress and an ornate hat passes the viewer. To her left a hobbled man holds a sign with a few legible words amongst squiggles; they read, "General / BOOTH / City Hall". Part of a bridled horse is seen at the extreme right side of the composition. Behind the crowd, whose clothing is heightened with an array of pastel watercolors, a colonnade is visible; at the left corner of the building the colonnade recedes backwards, and is mirrored by a row of receding street lamps. 
Inscribed on left, in image, in pen: "Royal Exchange Place" and below this, signed in pencil, "Muirhead Bone."

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Primary Object Type
presentation drawing

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Equus caballus (species)
Figures
cityscape artists
commodity exchanges
exchanges (financial institutions)
fashion (concept)
horse-drawn vehicles
horses
marketplaces
modern and contemporary art
placards (information artifacts)
squares (open spaces)
urban environments

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved