Billingsgate

1859

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a bustling port scene with various sailboats docked, people on the quay and boats, and urban structures in the background. The detailed etching technique creates a monochromatic image using shades of sepia. The scene is framed with tall ship masts at the horizon. The composition includes a range of activities and structures, depicted with varying line density for contrast.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint in black on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Julius Garfinckel)

  • Dimensions

    plate: 15.24 × 22.54 cm (6 × 8 7/8 in.)
    sheet: 20 × 26.99 cm (7 7/8 × 10 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.406

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 51, state ix/ix

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Julius Garfinckel, Washington, DC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1938; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1948

  • Etchings by Whistler, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1948

1952

  • Whistler, Hunter Gallery of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1952

1990

  • Haden, Whistler, Pennell: Three Master Printmakers in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1990, no. 26, repro

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, ix/ix. http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: Whistler. 1859.; lower center edge in graphite by unknown hand: 11139; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: B19213; lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: YH

Watermarks

D [coat of arms] M

Wikidata ID

Q77012940

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