The Little Rotherhithe

1861

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a busy harbor scene with various vessels on the water. The view is from an elevated position, capturing sailboats with high masts. The scene is depicted using delicate linear strokes, creating textures for the boats and water. The color palette is primarily sepia tones. Some boats are close by with figures onboard, while more ships are seen further out. In the distance, buildings and a narrowing waterway create a bustling backdrop against the sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on Asian laid tissue paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 12.2 × 10 cm (4 13/16 × 3 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 19.1 × 13.7 cm (7 1/2 × 5 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8446

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 74, state i/iv

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Harper Benedict [1844-1935], New York; purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1929; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Etchings, Lithographs, Original Drawings, and Autograph Letters by James A. McNeill Whistler, The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1931.

2022

  • The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler, Royal Academy of Arts, London; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2022, no. 3.

  • The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler, Royal Academy of Arts, London; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2022, no. 3.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 73, i/ii.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock. James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, A Catalogue Raisonné. Scotland: University of Glasgow, 2012, no. 74, state i/iv. http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk

Inscriptions

on plate: Whistler. / 1861.; by later hands, lower left on the recto: K73 under :I; lower right on the verso (possibly by Whistler?): Towards Thames Tunnel; lower left on the verso: 8; lower centre on the recto by Harold Wright: Little Wapping

Wikidata ID

Q65021863

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