From Pickle-Herring Stairs

c. 1878

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image depicts a wide body of water with a bustling harbor scene. Numerous sailing vessels with tall masts are visible on the horizon, alongside distant smokestacks releasing smoke into the sky. Closer to the viewer, smaller boats are faintly outlined with fine, diagonal strokes. The left side of the composition features a waterfront with buildings. The artwork is characterized by loose, sketch-like lines and varying densities of hatching to suggest depth and perspective. The color palette is monochromatic, dominated by shades of gray, giving it a muted visual impact.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 14.92 x 22.54 cm (5 7/8 x 8 7/8 in.)
    sheet: 20.32 x 31.12 cm (8 x 12 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8501

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 164, state iv/viii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); 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.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 167, iii/vi.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret F., Grischka Petri, Joanna Meacock.James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné. University of Glasgow on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. University of Glasgow, 2012: no. 164, state iv/viii.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly)

Watermarks

Arms of Amsterdam

Wikidata ID

Q65021918

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