In the early 1880s Seurat made about seventy oil studies on small wood panels, which he called croquettons (small sketches). These durable panels were easily transported and readily held in the hand. Seurat, as here, often let the wood show through between his strokes, taking advantage of its orange-brown color.

This work of 1882–83 is one of the first studies he painted along the Seine on the industrial outskirts of Paris. It anticipates the setting for his first major painting, "Bathing Place, Asnières" of 1883–84 (National Gallery, London).

Henry van de Velde (1891–1929); Félix Fénéon, Paris; [Bernheim-Jeune, Paris]; ?[Valentine Gallery, New York and Paris]; Mabel Choate, New York (until d. 1958)

Paris. Bernheim-Jeune. "Georges Seurat (1859–1891)," December 14, 1908–January 9, 1909, no. 25 (as "Le Pont," lent by M. H[enry]. V[an]. d[e]. V[elde].).

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Georges Seurat, 1859–1891," September 24, 1991–January 12, 1992, no. 95.

New York. Robert Lehman Collection. "Neo-Impressionism: The Circle of Paul Signac," October 1–December 31, 2001, no catalogue.

Art Institute of Chicago. "Seurat and the Making of 'La Grande Jatte'," June 16–September 19, 2004, no. 12.

Kunsthaus Zürich. "Georges Seurat: Figure in Space," October 2, 2009–January 17, 2010, no. 37 (as "Le Pont [The Bridge, View of the Seine]").

Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. "Georges Seurat: Figure in Space," February 4–May 9, 2010, no. 37 (as "Le Pont [The Bridge, View of the Seine]").

Henri Dorra and John Rewald. Seurat: L'œuvre peint, biographie et catalogue critique. Paris, 1959, p. 75, no. 78, ill., date it about 1883; incorrectly list it as no. 49 bis in Exh. Paris 1908–9 [see Refs. Dauberville 1960 and Herbert 1991].

Jean Dauberville. Letter to Mary Ann Wurth. May 5, 1960, states that in the archives for Exh. Paris 1908–9 a photograph of it was inscribed on the back by Félix Fénéon with the following: "No. 49 bis - Croqueton - Vers 1883 - Famille APPERT (?)"; concludes that if the picture was included in this exhibition it was "hors catalogue" [see Ref. Herbert 1991].

C[ésar]. M[ange]. de Hauke. Seurat et son œuvre. Paris, 1961, vol. 1, pp. 44–45, no. 77, ill., dates it about 1883; identifies the site as the riverbank opposite that depicted in Seurat's "Bathing at Asnières" of 1883–84 (National Gallery, London; DR98; H92).

Charles Sterling and Margaretta M. Salinger. "XIX–XX Centuries." French Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 3, New York, 1967, p. 194, ill., state that it depicts the same part of the Seine as "The Bridge at Courbevoie" of about 1883 (formerly Georges Renand collection, Paris; DR85; H83), except from the opposite bank, and that both are preparatory studies for "Bathing at Asnières" (National Gallery, London).

Fiorella Minervino in L'opera completa di Seurat. [1st, French ed., 1973]. Milan, 1972, p. 96, no. 81, ill., dates it 1883.

Herbert Wotte. Georges Seurat: Wesen, Werk, Wirkung. Dresden, 1988, p. 214, no. 22, ill., dates it about 1883 and erroneously states that the current owner is unknown.

Catherine Grenier. Seurat: Catalogo completo dei dipinti. Florence, 1990, fig. 82, dates it 1883.

Robert L. Herbert et al. Georges Seurat, 1859–1891. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1991, pp. 85, 135–36, 139, 433, no. 95, ill. (color) [French ed., "Seurat", Paris, 1991, pp. 125, 170–71, 173, no. 94, ill. (color)], dates it 1882–83; suggests that the large building and chimney in the background may be the same as those depicted in the drawing "Men in Front of a Factory" of 1882–83 (Musée du Louvre, Paris; H550); notes that although Fénéon labeled the photograph of it "49 bis" when planning Exh. Paris 1908–9, he changed it to no. 25 in the catalogue [see Refs. Dorra and Rewald 1959, and Dauberville 1960]; does not believe that it is a study for the "Bathing at Asnières" in London.

Paul Smith in The Dictionary of Art. 28, New York, 1996, p. 501, as "Fishermen near a Bridge".

Robert L. Herbert et al. Seurat and the Making of "La Grande Jatte". Exh. cat., Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, 2004, pp. 40, 96, 272, no. 12, ill. p. 43 (color), dates it 1883 and notes that it portrays Clichy, one of the rapidly growing industrial suburban communities on the outskirts of Paris.

This picture depicts the industrial suburb of Clichy. The building in the background also appears in Seurat's drawing "Men in Front of a Factory" of 1882–83 (Musée du Louvre, Paris; H550) and relates to the painting "Bathing at Asnières" of 1883–84 (National Gallery, London; H92) [see Ref. Herbert 2004].