Gallery Talk: _On Location: Drawing the Outdoors_
This in-person gallery talk examines Sir John Frederick William Herschel’s use of the camera lucida to depict the Menai Suspension Bridge, an engineering achievement designed by Thomas Telford. The discussion considers how new technology and modern infrastructure became intertwined with Romantic-era ideas about artistic practice and subject matter.
The talk is led by Alec Aldrich, Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow in the Division of European and American Art. It is presented in connection with *On Location: Drawing the Outdoors*, an exhibition featuring works by J. M. W. Turner, John Constable, Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and other artists. The exhibition is scheduled to remain on view through January 17, 2027.
When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Showtimes: 12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Tickets: Free
Format: In person
Venue: Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
How to Attend: Check in at the Visitor Services desk. Space is limited.
Speaker: Alec Aldrich, Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow, Division of European and American Art
Featured Artwork: Herschel’s *No 566 Menai Suspension Bridge from the Beach on the Anglesea Side*, dated September 29, 1827. The work is graphite on off-white laid paper and was made using a camera lucida; it is held by the Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum.
Exhibition Dates: *On Location: Drawing the Outdoors* is on view from September 18, 2026, through January 17, 2027.
Accessibility: Visitors seeking accommodations can contact Visitor Services at am_register@harvard.edu or 617-495-9400. Further information is available through the museum’s accessibility resources.
Support: Exhibition and related programming support came from the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Support Fund, the Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Support Fund for the Study of Dutch Drawing, the Melvin R. Seiden and Janine Luke Fund for Publications and Exhibitions, and the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund. Additional project support was provided by the Almathea Charitable Foundation.