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Charing Cross Bridge

Impression: Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
(1934.623)
Number: 348
Date: 1887/1888
Medium: etching
Size: 133 x 97 mm
Signed: butterfly at left
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 5
Catalogues: K.310; M.306
Impressions taken from this plate  (5)

TECHNIQUE

An etching, drawn with straight lines for the piers of the bridge plus vertical and horizontal lines for the distant buildings. All the other details were done with short curved strokes of the needle and irregular patches of shading, leaving wide gaps between lines.

PRINTING

On 18 July 1889 after a studio stock-taking, Whistler wrote that he still had in stock 'Charing Cross Bridge 4'. 9

9: GUW #13235.

Very few impressions of Charing Cross Bridge have been located. One is in dark brown ink on 'modern' (post-1800) laid paper (), and others in black on cream () and ivory () laid paper.

They were trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them.