Billingsgate

1859

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image depicts a busy waterfront with sailboats docked, numerous masts rise into the sky, and a crowd moves along a stairway and promenade by a building. The scene is depicted using etching lines to create texture and depth. The color palette is monochromatic with sepia tones. In the distance, additional masts and figures can be seen across the water, with a faint skyline in the background.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 15.24 x 22.23 cm (6 x 8 3/4 in.)
    sheet: 22.54 x 30.8 cm (8 7/8 x 12 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1949.5.529

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 51, state iii/ix

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Howard Mansfield [1849-1938], New York (Lugt 1342); (Probably sold through A. A. Hahlo & Co., New York); Harris Whittemore [1864-1927], Naugatuck, CT, 1919; (his sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 17 January 1949, lot 119); (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia, PA); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA, 1949; gift to the NGA, 1949.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 47.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock. James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, A Catalogue Raisonné. Scotland: University of Glasgow, 2012, no. 51, state iii/ix. http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: Whistler. 1859.

Wikidata ID

Q65076921

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