Approaching Thunder Storm

Martin Johnson Heade

1859 · Oil on canvas · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

📦 Free shipping on every order — or upgrade to Express ($14.9) at checkout. Most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days (Express 2–4).

Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Approaching Thunder Storm

Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth

A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie

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

Choose different prints →

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

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

Secure checkout via Stripe

About this work

Artist: Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904)
Year: 1859
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 71.1 × 111.8 cm
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Movement: Hudson River School

A man and his dog sit on the shore of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, their backs to the sun, watching a wall of black cloud advance over the water; a thin bolt of lightning flickers at the left, a sail is spread on the ground beside them and a lone rower pulls for the shore. Heade based it on a sketch of a storm he had watched from Prudence Island around 1858 and painted it in 1859, his largest picture to that date; it was shown at the National Academy of Design in 1860. The eerie light on the land under a blackening sky, the ominous hush one critic described, has often been linked to the mounting tensions before the Civil War. Heade worked alongside Church in New York, and Church's long horizons left their mark here. The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired it in 1975.

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 man and his dog watching a wall of black cloud advance over eerily lit water, for a study, den or coastal living room at 24×16 in black. Charcoal, pale grey or deep green; its hush suits a quiet room before a storm.

Style: Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1859)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, 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 — black suits the deep tones of this period; oak lightens 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; 18×12 and 24×16 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. 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 Approaching Thunder Storm in the public domain?

Yes. Martin Johnson Heade (1819–1904) 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, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Approaching Thunder Storm painted, and in what medium?

Approaching Thunder Storm dates from 1859 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 71.1 × 111.8 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

Approaching Thunder Storm (Martin Johnson Heade) — Approaching Thunder Storm · Martin Johnson Heade · 1859. 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. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. 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 ~4–8 business days.

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

Also available as