Two figures with pensive faces are seated, each holding a long smoking pipe, in front of a dockside scene with assorted masted ships and sailboats on the left, and dark buildings along the right, in the background. Both figures appear bundled in heavy clothing and each holds the pipe downward and at the far end away from their mouths with one closed hand. The individual on the right is wearing a head cover and looks toward the other, who looks off into the distance. The entire scene is etched with overlaid black lines, though the river itself is left bare, highlighting the lines and rigging of the sailing ships and boats. In the distance, buildings of uniform height line the river. The artist's signature and presumably the year, 1860, is placed on the bottom left.

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See more objects with the tag smoking, river, tobacco, laborers.

Object Timeline

1954	We acquired this object.
2015	We photographed this object.
2017	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Object ID #18401661

This is a Print. It was created by James McNeill Whistler. It is dated 1860 and we acquired it in 1954. Its medium is etching and drypoint on paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

This print by artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler presents two East London dockworkers in a moment of rest, smoking together near the shore of the Thames. Rotherhithe in 19th-century London was one of the city’s poorest districts, and dockworkers were among the lowest-paid laborers. As an outsider, Whistler portrays these workers in a rare moment of indulgence and leisure, creating a picturesque vision of urban life.

This object was donated by Leo Wallerstein. It is credited Gift of Leo Wallerstein.

Its dimensions are

32.2 x 24.2 cm (12 11/16 x 9 1/2 in.)

It is signed

Signed in plate, lower left: Whistler 1860

It is inscribed

Inscribed in graphite, lower right: R5051

Cite this object as

Object ID #18401661; James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903); USA; etching and drypoint on paper; 32.2 x 24.2 cm (12 11/16 x 9 1/2 in.) ; Gift of Leo Wallerstein; 1954-89-4

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Virtue in Vice.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2Cjb2/
Accession Number 1954-89-4
Object ID 18401661