The Pool, One of the 'Sixteen Etchings,' or the 'Thames Set' / James McNeill Whistler
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1954/1.337
- Title
- The Pool, One of the 'Sixteen Etchings,' or the 'Thames Set'
- Artist
- James McNeill Whistler
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- 1834-1903
- Medium and Support
- etching, printed in dark brown ink on laid Japan tissue
- Object Creation Date
- 1859
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- Inscription
- Signed on the plate, l.l.: Whistler. / 1859. Signed, in pencil: W [Whistler's hand?]
- Dimensions
- 24.5 cm x 34.2 cm (9 5/8 in. x 13 7/16 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Physical Description
- A man in a cap sits in a rowboat in the foreground, his chin on his hand looking at the viewer. A number of other boats, all unoccupied, create a barrier between the man and the open expanse of the river that curves towards the left in the distance. The water's edge is congested with wooden buildings and ships, some in dry dock.
- Subject Matter
- In 1859, Whistler spent several months living in Wapping and Rotherthite, creating a number of etchings depicting the bustling commercial docks and warehouses that fringed the Pool of London. These views of modern life represented a departure from traditionally elevated subject matter of art, including scenes from the Bible and ancient history. The French poet Charles Baudelaire had encouraged contemporary artists to find 'the heroism of modern life' in contemporary subjects; when Baudelaire saw these views of London, he lauded Whistler's work as exactly the kind of new approach that he had hoped to inspire in artists.
- Secondary Keywords
- architecture
- buildings and the land
- figures
- human-powered watercraft
- objects we use
- open spaces
- open spaces and site elements
- open spaces by location or context
- people and occupations
- rowed watercraft
- ships
- single level rowed watercraft
- the natural world
- transportation vehicles
- vehicles
- watercraft
- watercraft by general type
- watercraft by method of propulsion
- watercraft by specific type
- waterfront spaces
- waterfronts and waterfront spaces
- waterscapes
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 609 x 411
- File Size
- 33 KB
- Record
- 1954/1.337
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.337/1954_1.337.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.337:1954_1.337.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"The Pool, One of the 'Sixteen Etchings,' or the 'Thames Set'; James McNeill Whistler." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.337/1954_1.337.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
