Fly Market
1870s
Medium
Oil on slate paper
Dimensions
6 x 9 1/8 in. (15.2 x 23.2 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
Accession Number
54.90.492
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
" Fly Market" captures a lively urban scene from 1870s America through the eyes of artist William P. Chappel. The compact oil painting, measuring just 6 by 9 1/8 inches, portrays men and women gathered amid buildings at a bustling marketplace. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing, the work offers a glimpse into everyday commerce and community life during a period of rapid urban growth. Chappel worked in the unusual medium of oil on slate paper, a support that provides a smooth, durable surface suited to fine detail and intimate scale. This choice lends the scene a crisp, almost documentary quality, emphasizing the figures and architectural elements without unnecessary embellishment. The painting’s modest size invites close viewing, encouraging visitors to appreciate the careful observation of daily routines. Acquired through the Edward W. C. Arnold Collection, "Fly Market" stands as a modest yet vivid record of nineteenth-century American city life. Its presence in the museum highlights the value of genre scenes that document ordinary places and people, preserving a sense of place for modern audiences.
About the Artist
William P. Chappel · 1801–1878
American, 1801–1878