The Little Pool
Print
1861 (etched), 1871 (printed and published)
1861 (etched), 1871 (printed and published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
During his formative years in Paris in the 1850s, Whistler was influenced by the injunctions of the poet and theorist Charles Baudelaire that artists should take subjects from 'modern life' and seek a new beauty in the teeming cities. Whistler's first major suite of prints, his 'French Set' brought critical acclaim but disappointing sales. Seeking more generous patrons, he moved to London in 1859. Initially under the influence of his brother-in-law Francis Seymour Haden, a pioneer of the 'etching revival', he began a series of superbly observed and finely detailed views of the River Thames with its shipping, thriving wharves and picturesque characters.
In this daring composition the two figures to the left are Whistler himself, drawing on a copperplate, and his friend and patron Sergeant Thomas, a rich lawyer who was involved in early plans for publication of the 'Thames Set' etchings. This novel little image was conceived as an announcement for the series, but Whistler's original etched lettering was mistakenly erased by the printers.
In this daring composition the two figures to the left are Whistler himself, drawing on a copperplate, and his friend and patron Sergeant Thomas, a rich lawyer who was involved in early plans for publication of the 'Thames Set' etchings. This novel little image was conceived as an announcement for the series, but Whistler's original etched lettering was mistakenly erased by the printers.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Etching |
| Brief description | Etching by James Whistler, 'The Little Pool', from the Thames Set. Etched 1861, published in 'Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames, and Other Subjects,' London, 1871. |
| Physical description | Etching by James Whistler, ‘The Little Pool’, from the Thames Set. Etched 1861, printed and issued in 1871 as one of the ‘Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames, and Other Subjects,’ by Ellis and Green, 32 King Street, Covent Garden, in editions of one hundred. Signed and dated by the artist in plate. View of the Thames from a high vantage point where the artist sits drawing with another figure behind at left. Below, a vista of wide barges and tall sailing ships on the far bank of the river. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Whistler. 1861.' (Signed and dated by the artist in plate middle left) |
| Object history | 1871 edition. W.72; K.74, 8th state. |
| Historical context | The artist sketching is Whistler himself; the man beside him is Mr Ralph Thomas, father of Mr Percy Thomas, RE. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | During his formative years in Paris in the 1850s, Whistler was influenced by the injunctions of the poet and theorist Charles Baudelaire that artists should take subjects from 'modern life' and seek a new beauty in the teeming cities. Whistler's first major suite of prints, his 'French Set' brought critical acclaim but disappointing sales. Seeking more generous patrons, he moved to London in 1859. Initially under the influence of his brother-in-law Francis Seymour Haden, a pioneer of the 'etching revival', he began a series of superbly observed and finely detailed views of the River Thames with its shipping, thriving wharves and picturesque characters. In this daring composition the two figures to the left are Whistler himself, drawing on a copperplate, and his friend and patron Sergeant Thomas, a rich lawyer who was involved in early plans for publication of the 'Thames Set' etchings. This novel little image was conceived as an announcement for the series, but Whistler's original etched lettering was mistakenly erased by the printers. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 24767:10 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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