Skip to main content

Wych Street

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artwork Details

Wych Street
1877
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
etching and drypoint, printed in black ink on laid paper
12 15/16 in. x 8 7/16 in. ( 32.9 cm x 21.5 cm )
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
1954/1.363

Description

Subject Matter:

Whistler's interest in depicting picturesque old buildings and the sharp recession provided by closely build houses goes back to "The Street at Saverne" from the French Set. These old structures were also captured by the photographers Alfred and John Bool (see 1991/1.114) and may possibly reflect Whistler's interest in recording, and possibly preserving, distinctive older architecture.

Physical Description:

A street view.  The upper two stories of buildings in a narrow city street are drawn, the ground floor left undescribed. The vantage point severly crops and foreshortens the buildings on the right side of the street, but gives a fuller view of the gables and overhangs of the buildings on the left side of the street.

Usage Rights:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.