On View
Not on viewObject number2005.21
Rotherhithe
Artist
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
(American, 1834-1903)
Date1860
Mediumetching and drypoint
Dimensionsimage: 10 3/4 × 7 3/4 in. (27.3 × 19.7 cm)
sheet: 14 1/2 × 9 1/4 in. (36.8 × 23.5 cm)
mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
sheet: 14 1/2 × 9 1/4 in. (36.8 × 23.5 cm)
mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Credit LinePermanent Collection Fund
Exhibition History"Masterworks on Paper," KIA Long Gallery (Sept. 2005 - Jan. 2006).
"Highlights of the KIA Permanent Collection, (purchased with Auction funds)," KIA Gallery 5 (Sept. 9 - Oct. 14, 2006).
"Warhol, Chihuly and Others: Showcasing New KIA Acquisitions," KIA (Dec. 8, 2007 - Jan. 27, 2008).
"Curator's Choice: European Works on Paper," KIA Long Gallery (May 9 - Aug. 27, 2008).
"Shimmerings of Light, Mysteries of Shadow: The Etching Revival of the 19th Century," KIA Long Gallery (Sept. 24 - Nov. 27, 2011).
"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).Label TextIn the spring of 1859, Whistler relocated from Paris to London. Thoroughly entrenched in the Realist aesthetic which embraced depiction of the realities of lower-class life, he soon found inspiration in the working-class activities along the lower reaches of the Thames River. Sketching among the old wooden slips and docks, Whistler sought to capture the attitudes and appearance of the stevedores, sailors, and merchants
of this district.
This print shows two men conversing on the balcony of The Angel public house in the Rotherhithe district of London, overlooking the Thames River. A center for ship repair and commercial warehousing of luxury goods in the 19th century, this bend in the river already had a long history, dating back to the launching of the Mayflower from Rotherhithe docks. The Angel pub still stands today, now within a modern residential district.
