Details: James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834 – 1903) was an American artist, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol was apt, for it combined both aspects of his personality: his art is characterized by a subtle delicacy, while his public persona was combative. He found a parallel between painting and music and entitled many of his paintings "arrangements", "harmonies", and "nocturnes", emphasizing the primacy of tonal harmony. His most famous painting is "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1" (1871), commonly known as "Whistler's Mother," the revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood. Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers.

This original etching presents a scene on the Thames, above London, which is regarded as one of the finest Whistler executed in his works focusing on the Thames. It is produced on laid paper with black ink and is signed in the plate with Whistler’s readily recognized butterfly monogram. This is from Kennedy’s third and final state, Glasgow’s fourth state of four, with the fine drypoint shading added to the second building from the left, dating it to 1879. This piece is one of only 49 known impressions of this plate and is housed in a handsome professional frame with a cream silk cloth-covered matting. Attached to the frame is a certificate of authenticity from Merrill Chase Galleries in Chicago, who also provided the framing. This is a listed print in the following catalogues raisonne: Kennedy (181 iii/iii), Glasgow (184 iv/iv), and Mansfield (178). This plate came from a fine Upstate New York estate.

On the left is a four-story building, possibly with pillars running vertically the height of the building between the windows. Behind and to left a three-story wing or a separate building is visible. Further to the right there are trees on each side of a two-story house, which either has large windows or an arcade on the ground floor. More two or three-story buildings extend into the distance at right. In the middle distance, running right across the scene, is a line of rowing boats or skiffs moored together (possibly along a jetty). At the far right, what seems to be a flag or pennant is blowing to right, from a pole. One of the boats at left and one at right have small sails, and two broader flat boats, to right of center, have large sails raised and all are reflected in the water.

Hurlingham is on the river Thames in Fulham, west London, across the river from Wandsworth. Hurlingham Park looks south, across the river, to Wandsworth Park. It was a site where both amateur and professional activities overlapped. Thames barges, boats and tugs as well as rowboats and skiffs crowded the broad river. Hurlingham itself was a sporting venue for London Society, including Royalty, to watch and play polo, while the public could watch boat races from the riverbank.
Condition / Notes: This etching and its frame are in excellent condition. The impression is bold and clean with only a trace amount, if any, of age indication. There is some light toning on the paper, outside the plate. This is an admirable example of this rare plate. The frame shows beautifully with only a very small amount of age/wear.

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