The Artist's Letter Rack

William Michael Harnett

1879 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size2:3 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

This print

The Artist's Letter Rack

My Gems

Still Life—Violin and Music

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 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: William Michael Harnett (1848–1892)
Year: 1879
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 76.2 × 63.5 cm
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Movement: Realism

Letters, envelopes, a calling card, a newspaper clipping and a torn photograph are tucked behind pink tapes tacked to a wooden board. Letter racks of this kind hung in nineteenth-century offices, and Harnett's painted version, made in Philadelphia in 1879, is one of the earliest of the American trompe-l'oeil 'rack' pictures that Peto later made his own. It is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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 witty trompe-l'oeil of letters and cards for an office, study or hallway in a black frame. It suits warm white or grey walls and is a gift for a writer.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Realism painting
Era: 19th century (1879)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: calm
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, home office, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

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

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms 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: 12×18, 16×24 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 Artist's Letter Rack in the public domain?

Yes. William Michael Harnett (1848–1892) 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 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18 and 16×24 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 Artist's Letter Rack painted, and in what medium?

The Artist's Letter Rack dates from 1879 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 76.2 × 63.5 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 16×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 12×18 suits a narrower wall or a pair.

About this design

The Artist's Letter Rack (William Michael Harnett) — The Artist's Letter Rack · William Michael Harnett · 1879. 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.

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