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Fine art

The Waterfront

Frank W. Benson

1922 · Watercolour on paper · RISD Museum, Providence

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.

Complete the setHangs well with these two

3 × $59 at 24 × 16 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Frank W. Benson (1862–1951)
Year: 1922
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Original size: 35.6 × 50.8 cm
Collection: RISD Museum, Providence
Movement: American Impressionism

Sailboats and small boats lie moored off a stone landing in bright turquoise water, with an island on the horizon and the rigging of a larger boat cutting across the foreground. Benson took up watercolour seriously in the early 1920s and painted harbours and rivers in quick, wet washes that leave the white paper to stand for sunlight on water. This sheet, signed and dated 1922, was bought by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum the same year.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A fresh, airy harbour scene in turquoise, blue and white for a bathroom, coastal-style living room or hallway in a thin black frame. It pairs well with Homer's Bahamas watercolours and suits a white or pale sand-coloured wall.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: American Impressionism painting
Era: 20th century (1922)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, bathroom, hallway or entryway, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 18×12, 24×16 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — dark wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 18×12, 24×16 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or dark wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is The Waterfront in the public domain?

Yes. Frank W. Benson (1862–1951) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by RISD Museum.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 18×12 and 24×16 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Waterfront painted, and in what medium?

The Waterfront dates from 1922 and was made in watercolour on paper; the original measures 35.6 × 50.8 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×16 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 18×12 suits a narrower wall or a pair. It is a landscape print, wider than it is tall, at the painting's own proportions.

About this design

The Waterfront (Frank W. Benson) — The Waterfront · Frank W. Benson · 1922. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

Also available as

An exhibition poster

The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.

Exhibition poster

The Waterfront

About this work

The Madten promise

An exhibition poster

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