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Little Venice (The Little Venice)

1879–80
Not on view
Born in New England, Whistler studied painting in Paris and then based himself in London. There he introduced the French practice of etching and lithographing as seriously as one painted. In his prints of the river Thames, as in those of the lagoons of Venice, Whistler developed subtle tonal variations that alluded dreamily to a triumph of water and air over substance.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Little Venice (The Little Venice)
  • Series/Portfolio: First Venice Set ("Venice: Twelve Etchings," 1880)
  • Artist: James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London)
  • Publisher: The Fine Art Society, London
  • Date: 1879–80
  • Medium: Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink with selectively wiped ink on medium weight cream wove paper; second state of two (Glasgow)
  • Dimensions: Plate: 7 5/16 × 10 7/16 in. (18.5 × 26.5 cm)
    Sheet: 7 3/8 × 10 9/16 in. (18.7 × 26.8 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.3.85
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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