Washed Up Ships

Washed Up Ships — Rodolphe Bresdin. 1864.

Medium: Pen and black ink on brown wove card. Dimensions: Primary support: 17.1 × 11.1 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/8 in.); Secondary support: 31.9 × 23.8 cm (12 9/16 × 9 3/8 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

In addition to being an accomplished draughtsman, Bresdin was a proficient printmaker. In its intense detail, and with its clear tonal contrasts, this linear drawing recalls his etchings. Unlike many of his works, however, it bears a date and signature. A friend of writers and poets, Bresdin worked frequently as an illustrator. Although it does not seem that this work was destined for a particular project, much of his imagery borders on the fantastic. The buildings on the shoreline seem to lean with the mast of the larger ship. Above a spire, meanwhile, a flock of birds peppers the sky.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.