Billingsgate by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1859

Description

This ink etching depicts a busy dock scene from the perspective of someone in the stern of a boat. There … more This ink etching depicts a busy dock scene from the perspective of someone in the stern of a boat. There are several figures in the bow of this boat who are wearing hats; three are seated and two standing figures face each other and appear to be engaged in conversation. A body of water, the lower Thames in London, is visible to our right alongside this boat. Behind the figures are a row of sailboats moored at dock with many people on them. Extending behind these boats in the distance is an arched brick bridge, and to the left is a busy dock with a stairway that leads up to a row of brick buildings with arched windows and doorways.
Billingsgate is one of an 1859 series capturing the gritty industrial chaos of London along the docks of the lower Thames.

This work is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, The Met, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, amongst others.

Materials: Laid Paper, Drypoint Engraving

Dimensions: 19-5/8" W x 15-5/8" H x 3/4" D (framed) less