On the Coast of New Jersey

On the Coast of New Jersey is an 1883 oil on canvas painting by William Trost Richards that entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art through purchase on 14 May 1883. Curatorial notes indicate the work was painted to order for approval before its transfer to the National Gallery of Art in 2015.

The painting was created under commission for acquisition by the Corcoran and has remained in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

On the Coast of New Jersey is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art on 14 May 1883, when it was purchased directly from the artist, William Trost Richards, having been painted to order for approval. The painting remained with the Corcoran until 2015, when it was acquired by the National Gallery of Art, where it is currently located.

William Trost Richards painted On the Coast of New Jersey in 1883 as an oil on canvas work, created to order for approval and subsequently acquired by the National Gallery of Art after its earlier ownership by the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The painting measures 102.24 cm by 183.52 cm and is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, which also holds works by the artist related to coastal subjects, situating it within his broader focus on American shoreline landscapes and the Hudson River School tradition.

Scholarship on the work emphasizes its technical precision and atmospheric treatment of light along the Jersey shoreline, reflecting Richards' role in bridging Luminism and emerging American Impressionism. It is frequently cited in studies of 19th-century American marine painting and the development of regional landscape genres in the post-Civil War era.

The painting's provenance and acquisition history underscore its significance as a representative example of Richards' mature style and his engagement with naturalistic detail, contributing to ongoing reassessments of his place in American art historical narratives.

The painting has remained in institutional collections for more than a century, moving from its 1883 purchase by the Corcoran Gallery of Art to its 2015 transfer to the National Gallery of Art, where it is now part of the permanent collection.

Its continued visibility in major American art holdings has reinforced recognition of Richards’s role in 19th‑century coastal landscape painting, influencing later artists who sought to capture similar maritime atmospheres.

Scholarly discussions of Richards’s legacy frequently cite this work as an exemplar of his mature style and as a reference point for studies of American marine art in the late 19th century.

William Trost Richards’ oil on canvas, On the Coast of New Jersey (1883), depicts a shoreline under a cloudy sky. A dark‑green sea laps a sandy beach while a few gulls trace the air above. The composition is anchored by the subtle play of sunlight breaking through the clouds, lending a quiet atmosphere to the coastal view.