Vauxhall Bridge
Medium
Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink on fine buff fibrous laid Japan; second state of two (Glasgow)
Dimensions
Plate: 2 11/16 × 4 1/2 in. (6.9 × 11.4 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 10 7/16 in. (22.2 x 26.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William Loring Andrews, 1883, transferred from the Library
Accession Number
83.1.29
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Vauxhall Bridge*1861) captures a poetic glimpse of London’s industrial Thames River, featuring the iconic bridge amid boats and rippling water. Created during Whistler’s formative years in London—after studying in Paris and settling in the British capital—this etching belongs to his acclaimed "Thames Set," series of 16 prints that transformed gritty urban scenes into harmonious, atmospheric compositions. Whistler, an exponent of Aestheticism, prioritized "art for art’s sake," emphasizing mood over narrative, much like his later oil nocturnes. Printed in black ink on ...
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...