Waterton Ferry, Ellon
1905
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 13.6 × 18 cm (5 3/8 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5909
Art Historical Context
James McBey's *Waterton Ferry, Ellon (1905) captures a serene slice of Scottish rural life in this intimate etching, measuring just 13.6 × 18 cm. At age 22, the self-taught Scottish artist was honing his craft, drawing inspiration from the misty landscapes his native Aberdeenshire. Ellon, a historic village the River Ythan, provides the backdrop for depiction of the Waterton—a practical crossing point evoking everyday rhythms of early 20th-century Scotland. Etching, McBey's preferred medium shines here through its precision and atmospheric depth Using acid to bite fine lines into a metal plat...
About the Artist
James McBey
James McBey (1883–1959) was a Scottish artist renowned for his etchings and paintings, emerging from humble beginnings in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, as the illegitimate son of a blacksmith's daughter. Largely self-taught, he left school at fifteen to work as a bank clerk in Aberdeen, where he devoured art books from the public library and attended evening classes at Gray's School of Art to hone his ...