
Read the visual description
This is a drawing of a riverside cityscape with figures in the foreground. The image depicts a group of indistinct and lightly constructed figures positioned along what appears to be a waterfront or promenade. The cityscape in the background consists of sketched outlines indicating buildings with spires, rooftops, and various architectural elements, providing a distant urban backdrop. The drawing utilizes delicate lines and minimal detail. The figures in the foreground are also minimally detailed, suggesting motion and life with their fluid outlines against the structured horizon, creating a contrast between the human forms and the urban skyline.
National Gallery of Art · Print
A Sketch of the Embankment
James McNeill Whistler
- Medium
- etching in brown on laid paper
- Dimensions
- plate: 4.5 x 13.6 cm (1 3/4 x 5 3/8 in.) sheet: 13.5 x 22 cm (5 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
- Classification
- Accession number
- 1987.41.72
- Credit line
- Gift of John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook
- Time span
- 1826 to 1850
- Department
- CG-W
Subjects and terms
- amusement
- genre
- American
- etching
Provenance
(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 50080). Given by John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1987.
Inscription
lower right in graphite: Sketch on the Embankment / 4; lower left verso in graphite: a50080 R10446
Watermarks
partial, horned crown
NGA object ID 70124. 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.