Artwork

City of Detroit, Michigan: Taken from the Canada Shore near the Ferry

City of Detroit, Michigan: Taken from the Canada Shore near the Ferry is an ink print by the Romanticist artist William James Bennett. It dates from 1837 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:lower left in plate: Painted by WJ.Bennett from a Sketch by Fred.k Grain.; lower right in plate: Engd by WJ Bennett; lower center in plate: HenryI.Megarey New York / CITY OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN. / Taken from the Canada shore near theFerry. / Entered according to the Act of Congress in the year 183 7 by Henry I.Megarey in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Southern Dist rict of New York.

About this work

Overview

William James Bennett’s 1837 hand‑colored aquatint, titled City of Detroit, Michigan: Taken from the Canada Shore near the Ferry, presents a bustling river scene. Rendered on wove paper, the print captures the Detroit River’s traffic, with vessels of varying size and a shoreline populated by onlookers and buildings beneath a clouded sky.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts a lively waterfront where commercial and recreational activity converge. A small boat drifts past a group of figures on a grassy bank, while larger steamboats, sail‑powered ships, and modest rowboats navigate the channel. Flags flutter from the vessels, emphasizing the river’s role as a conduit for trade and travel in the early nineteenth‑century Great Lakes region.

Technique & Style

Bennett combined aquatint’s soft tonal washes with precise engraving lines, creating a contrast between the atmospheric sky and architecture and the sharply delineated ships and human forms. The hand‑coloring adds watercolor‑like hues to the buildings and clouds, while the engraved details convey texture and depth, illustrating the artist’s skill in merging two printmaking methods.

History & Provenance

Produced in 1837, the print reflects contemporary interest in documenting American urban growth. Though specific ownership records are limited, the work has circulated among collections of early American topographical prints, serving as a visual record of Detroit’s riverfront before the city’s later industrial expansion.