# Shipwreck near a Rocky Coast

- By: Thomas Birch (American, born England, 1779–1851)
- Date: 1833
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: 51.4 × 76.8 cm (20 1/4 × 30 1/4 in.)
- Culture: United States
- Credit line: Gift of the family of Richard H. Daniel
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/244013)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/web/64d471bb736c4234a8fb2dfb96fa42ed.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Based in Philadelphia, Thomas Birch was a leading marine painter who helped establish the genre in early 19th-century America. Shipwreck near a Rocky Coast is a romantic, imaginative composition that highlights human struggle against the forces of nature: the ship’s sails are torn, its masts lean to one side, and a tiny group of seafarers attempts to flee the disaster. Birch rendered the scene in dramatic detail, yet left the narrative unresolved.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0