The Burning of the New Gaol, Bristol

1831–32

Not on view

The Bristol Riots were the most destructive and bloodiest civil uprising that England experienced in the nineteenth-century. Muller, then at the start of his career, witnessed the mob in action between October 29 and 31, 1831, then created art works to record key moments. Here he depicts the burning of new jail on the second day, the scene framed by moored sailing ships and the hot tones of the flames reflected in the water below. Parliament’s failure to pass anticipated reform in 1831 had sparked this uprising which began when members of a disorderly crowd of protestors were bludgeoned and arrested. Parliament would pass the Great Reform Act in 1832, but it took Bristol eighty years to rebuild.

Artwork Details

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Title: The Burning of the New Gaol, Bristol
Artist: William James Müller (British, Bristol 1812–1845 Bristol)
Date: 1831–32
Medium: Watercolor with gouache (bodycolor) and reductive techniques
Dimensions: Sheet (corners rounded): 6 3/16 × 9 7/8 in. (15.7 × 25.1 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Harvey Salzman Gift, 2024
Object Number: 2024.424
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Standing Turkish Youth, William James Müller British, Watercolor over graphite — Standing Turkish Youth
William James Müller
1844

Umbrella pines in the Villa Borghese, Rome, William James Müller British, Watercolor over graphite underdrawing, with stippling, washes and reductive techniques, selectively coated with gum arabic — Umbrella pines in the Villa Borghese, Rome
William James Müller
1839

A woodland scene at dusk (recto); A study of trees and foliage (verso), William James Müller British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray paper — A woodland scene at dusk (recto); A study of trees and foliage (verso)
William James Müller
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Müller's Sketches of the Age of Francis 1st

Multiple artists/makers

1841

Study of trees by a mountain stream, William James Müller British, Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite, with reductive techniques, stopping out, and gum arabic on blue-gray card — Study of trees by a mountain stream
William James Müller
1833–45

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