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The image is a sketch showing a cityscape across a body of water. Industrial structures, boats, and a pale sky are depicted with light pencil strokes on an off-white background. The color palette is soft beiges and light grays.
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The image is a sketch showing a cityscape across a body of water. Industrial structures, boats, and a pale sky are depicted with light pencil strokes on an off-white background. The color palette is soft beiges and light grays.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Battersea: Dawn

James McNeill Whistler

Date
1875
Medium
drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
plate (cut to platemark): 14.9 × 22.4 cm (5 7/8 × 8 13/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1943.3.8490
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • Ship
  • Water
  • River
  • Boat
Provenance

(Knoedler & Co., New York.). Purchased 1928 by Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to NGA, 1943.

Inscription

[Whistler's butterfly signature] upper right composition, in plate, artist's hand. "[Whistler's butterfly signature] imp." lower left tab, graphite, artist's hand. "Battersea Dawn" verso, lower left sheet, graphite, unknown hand. "mk. 68756" verso, lower right sheet, graphite, unknown hand. "21" verso, center right sheet, graphite, unknown hand.

Marks

"LRJ" verso, black stamped ink, stamped twice. "National Gallery of Art" verso, black stamped ink.

Watermarks

"DHK"

NGA object ID 10987. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.