The Omnibus (c. 1919): Art, History and Details

The Omnibus (c. 1919) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Frank Wilcox (American, 1887–1964).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Horse-drawn omnibuses would have been a rarity during Wilcox’s trip to Paris from 1910 to 1911, which likely inspired this print. Newer modes of public transportation, such as tramways and motorized buses, were faster and better able to monitor which riders had paid for their fare: the man climbing to the second floor in this image may have easily jumped on for free. Wilcox also included people at work and leisure in the foreground, constructing a bustling vision of Paris on the cusp of the modern age.

Object facts

• Title: The Omnibus
• Date: c. 1919
• Creator attribution: Frank Wilcox (American, 1887–1964)
• Culture: America, Ohio, Cleveland
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching
• Dimensions: Platemark: 17.5 x 22.5 cm (6 7/8 x 8 7/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1920.281

A detail from the museum

The last horse-drawn omnibus in Paris ran in 1913, two years after Wilcox’s visit.

Collection credit

Purchased with funds given by friends of the May Show

Further reading listed by the museum

• Frank Wilcox Entry Card to 1920 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
• Hoffman, Jay, Dee Driscole, and Mary Clare Zahler. A Study in Regional Taste: The May Show, 1919-1975. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1977.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.