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Old Battersea Bridge

A work made of etching and drypoint with foul biting in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching and drypoint with foul biting in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1879

Artist:

James McNeill Whistler
American, 1834-1903

About this artwork

This print reflects James McNeill Whistler’s preservationist instincts along with his interest in picturesque London architecture. Battersea Bridge, within eyesight of Whistler’s home in Chelsea and the subject of many of his most celebrated works, was closed to traffic in 1883 and eventually demolished in 1890. By depicting boats and pedestrians freely moving through a wood bridge that is abruptly cut off at the edges, Whistler infused the object with an elegance akin to that found in the works of Utagawa Hiroshige. As early as 1863, Whistler was an avid collector of Japanese objects, and he soon became the most prominent ambassador of japonisme between England and France.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Title

Old Battersea Bridge

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1879

Medium

Etching and drypoint with foul biting in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Plate: 20.3 × 29.6 cm (8 × 11 11/16 in.); Sheet: 25.7 × 40.6 cm (10 1/8 × 16 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1924.647

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/13162/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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