The Romance of William Wernwag’s Bridge and Its Environs

This idyllic painting appeared three years before William Wernwag’s “Upper Ferry” bridge at Spring Garden was destroyed by fire. The painting evokes a pastoral setting. The artist draws the viewer’s eye southwest from the promenade of the Fairmount Water Works toward Wernwag’s bridge (the Lancaster Schuylkill Bridge) and West Philadelphia on the far bank.