Old Westminster Bridge
Medium
etching and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 7.62 x 20.32 cm (3 x 8 in.) sheet: 10.16 x 22.86 cm (4 x 9 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8423
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Old Westminster Bridge* (1859) captures a poignant moment in London’s evolving skyline. This intimate etching depicts the historic bridge spanning the Thames, constructed in 1750 and soon to be demolished in 1862 for a wider replacement. Whistler, an American expatriate artist then based in Paris and London, drawn to the city’s atmospheres and industrial grit, blending Realism with emerging Aesthetic principles that prioritized mood over narrative. Rendered in etching and drypoint on paper, the work showcases Whistler’s mastery of printmaking techniques. Etching uses...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...