Existing comment:
Whistler was just fourteen when he developed an interest in etchings and such master printmakers as Rembrandt. His early style was influenced by picturesque naturalism rooted in Dutch seventeenth-century traditions, as depicted in The Unsafe Tenement, which shares similarities with Rembrandt's Cottages. Longshore Men captures Thames River laborers relaxing in a modest tavern. Below this print is Whistler's original copper plate (with his cancellation marks that prevent the plate from being reprinted) and his etching needle. |