Approaching Thunder Storm

Martin Johnson Heade

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

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Approaching Thunder Storm

Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds

Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth

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

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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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 exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. 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 16×24 or 24×36 in black. Charcoal, pale grey or deep green; its hush suits a quiet room before a storm.

Style: Exhibition poster of a Hudson River School painting
Era: 19th century (1859)
Orientation: Portrait
Palette: cream & beige
Mood: dramatic, moody
Rooms: living room, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

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

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 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 exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

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

A museum-exhibition poster of Martin Johnson Heade's Approaching Thunder Storm — Approaching Thunder Storm — a black storm front over a still bay, a man and his dog watching from the shore — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Luminism: Light on Still Water, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — 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 Exhibition Posters 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.

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