Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty) (1902): Art, History and Details

Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty) (1902) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Henri Rivière (French, 1864–1951); Printed by Verneau.

The work and its context

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

The switchman’s principal duty was to switch tracks to direct an oncoming train to its destination, regulate a train’s speed, and signal the open track to the train conductor. The red and white checkered flag was used for the latter purpose and was placed on the side of the open tracks. The switchman was also responsible for manning the telegraph, whose white poles line the opposite side of the tracks. When he was off duty, the switchman grew vegetables on the bank bordering the railway, as was the custom with railway workers.

Object facts

• Title: Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty)
• Date: 1902
• Creator attribution: Henri Rivière (French, 1864–1951); Printed by Verneau
• Culture: France, early 20th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: color lithograph
• Dimensions: Sheet: 22.3 x 26.8 cm (8 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.); Image: 17 x 21.2 cm (6 11/16 x 8 3/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Lithograph
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 2003.393

Collection credit

Gift of John Bonebrake

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.