Etching and drypoint printed on ‘antique’ French laid paper, 1861
Of all the early Thames etchings, this is the one that most anticipates the later poetic nocturnes among the Thames and the Venetian etchings of the late 1870s (see Nocturne: The River at Battersea, The Beggars, The Doorway and Long Lagoon). It is one of the earliest glimpses in Whistler’s work of the smog-ridden factory chimneys of Battersea that became one of his favourite subjects after his move to Lindsey Row, Chelsea, in 1866. The creation here of the atmosphere of dawn using hatched lines, led in his later work to experiments with pools of printed tone to create haze and fog. This impression was printed on a flyleaf from an old book.
Given by Sir Herbert Thompson 1920
Collections record: P.2079-R
