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James McNeill Whistler 1834-1903
Chelsea, 1878-79signed with the butterfly in plate; printed in black ink on wove paperetching and drypointan impression in the fifth (final state)5 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches (13.3 x 20.7 cm)Created in the winter of 1878 or early 1879, this etching features Old Battersea Bridge and the square tower of Chelsea Church. The scene captures a low tide with bare...Created in the winter of 1878 or early 1879, this etching features Old Battersea Bridge and the square tower of Chelsea Church. The scene captures a low tide with bare tree branches, reflecting the stark, wintry atmosphere of the London waterfront. This plate was part of a series of bridge subjects, including Putney and Wandsworth, that Whistler produced with London clients in mind to help solve his dire financial problems during his bankruptcy. Figures, horses, and carts are seen crossing the bridge, while the Albert Bridge suspension is visible through the wooden arches.Literature
F. Wedmore, Whistler's Etchings: a Study and a Catalogue (London 1886), no. 148;H. Mansfield, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Etchings and Dry-Points of James Abbott McNeill Whistler (Chicago 1909), no. 179;
E.G. Kennedy, The Etched Work of Whistler (New York 1910), no. 182;
M.F. MacDonald, G. Petri, M. Hausberg, and J. Meacock, James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné, (Glasgow 2011), on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk, no. 181
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