shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePennsylvania · United States

running from the anthracite country down through Philadelphia

Schuylkill River

Name: Schuylkill River — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — the river the boathouses light at dusk.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The river that runs the length of eastern Pennsylvania, from the anthracite hills near Pottsville to the Delaware at the south end of Philadelphia. The Dutch called it the hidden river because its mouth slips behind Hog Island. Along the lower miles, Boathouse Row strings small lit windows over the water at dusk, and the towpath carries runners past Fairmount in long, quiet lines.

from the studio

— bring it home

Schuylkill River, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Schuylkill River

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Schuylkill River runs 217 km from its headwaters near Tuscarora in Schuylkill County to its confluence with the Delaware in south Philadelphia. It drains roughly 5,100 square kilometres of eastern Pennsylvania, gathering water from the anthracite coal region, the Reading farmland, and the suburban Main Line before reaching the city. The whole valley is designated by Congress as the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area, with a multi-use trail that now connects Pottsville and Philadelphia along most of the river's length.

— informed by Wikipedia

— the water

Fairmount Water Works, the Greek-revival pump house below the Philadelphia Museum of Art, supplied the city's drinking water from 1815 to 1909 and made Philadelphia the first large American city with municipal water. The Fairmount Dam pools the river above the Water Works into the calm reach used by the rowing clubs. A century of coal-silt and industrial runoff left the water badly fouled by 1940; restoration through the Schuylkill River Project of 1947 onward made the lower river swimmable again at points.

— informed by Fairmount Water Works

— the visit

Boathouse Row is a line of fifteen private rowing clubs on the east bank above the Fairmount Dam, several dating to the 1860s. The houses are outlined in low-voltage lighting that comes on at dusk and runs through the night, an installation maintained by the city. The Schuylkill River Trail along the west bank gives the long picture-postcard view. The Manayunk towpath, several kilometres upstream, follows the old Schuylkill Navigation canal past mill-town blocks and the Pencoyd railroad bridge.

— informed by Boathouse Row

— where

United States · Pennsylvania, United States

— within

Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area

— position

39.9526° N · 75.1810° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Fairmount Water Works

historic pump house

10 km NW

Manayunk

mill-town neighbourhood

32 km NW

Valley Forge

national historical park

Schuylkill River

Fairmount Water Works

Manayunk

Valley Forge

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Schuylkill River — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

About 217 km from its headwaters in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, to its mouth at the Delaware River in south Philadelphia. It drains roughly 5,100 square kilometres of the eastern Pennsylvania piedmont.

From the Dutch schuyl kill, meaning hidden creek. Early Dutch traders missed the river's mouth on first passes up the Delaware because Hog Island screened it from view. The name first appeared on maps in the 1640s.

A line of fifteen private rowing clubs on the east bank of the river above Fairmount Dam, several built in the 1860s. The houses are outlined in low-voltage lighting that comes on at dusk through the night.

Open swimming is not permitted in Philadelphia, though the river is much cleaner than it was a century ago. Rowing, kayaking, and stand-up paddling are common on the pool above the Fairmount Dam.

A 121-kilometre multi-use path running from Frackville in the anthracite region down to the Delaware at Philadelphia. About 100 km is completed; the rest connects through the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

Yes. Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 and Hurricane Ida in 2021 both caused major flooding along the lower river. Manayunk's Main Street and the Schuylkill Expressway routinely close during heavy rain events.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for someone with Philly ties. Boathouse Row at dusk is the city's quietest signature image. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is a good shape for a housewarming or a milestone.

The piece sits well in city-modern rooms with deep navy and brass, in academic interiors with leather and old maps, and in coastal-modern spaces that lean toward river light rather than ocean light.

A single Large carries most sofas and long consoles. For a wider stretch the four-tile Mural lets the river horizon run across the wall. A Medium is enough above a console or a reading chair.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for either room. Both resist scratches and bathroom steam. Keep the Glossy finish for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth and warm water. Skip ammonia-based cleaners and abrasive pads. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so normal cleaning will not fade or wear the image off the tile.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in the studio's own visual language by Reid Wender, the curator. We do not license images in or out. One studio, one eye, one atlas of places.

— if this one stayed with you

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