UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Her Majesty's Fleet: Evening

Impression: Hunterian Art Gallery
Hunterian Art Gallery
(46957)
Number: 310
Date: 1887
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 144 x 223 mm
Signed: butterfly at lower right
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 7
Catalogues: K.326; M.320; W.243
Impressions taken from this plate  (7)

KEYWORD

bunting, flags, jubilee, naval review, sailing ship, sea, ship, warship.

TITLE

Minor content and grammatical variations distinguish the titles used by Whistler and later cataloguers, as follows:


'H.M.S. Fleet - Evening' (1887, Whistler). 2
'The Naval Review. Her Majesty’s Fleet: Evening' (1887, R.B.A.) 3
'"The Fleet" Evening' (1887/1888, Whistler). 4
'Fleet, Evening' (1889, Whistler). 5
'Naval Review The Fleet - Evening' (1890/1892, Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896)). 6
'The Fleet - Evening' (1899, Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921)). 7
'The Fleet, Evening' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 8


'Her Majesty’s Fleet: Evening' is the preferred title, based on Whistler's original titles, with punctuation regularised.

2: Whistler to T. McLean, 20 August 1887, GUW #13089.

3: London RBA 1887 (cat. no. 507).

4: List, [1887/1888], GUW #13233.

5: List, 18 July 1889, GUW #13235.

6: List, [1890/1892], GUW #12715.

7: Wedmore 1899 (cat. no. 243).

8: Mansfield 1909 (cat. no. 320).

DESCRIPTION

Just to left of centre is a sloop with the jib down and sail partly lowered, tacking into the wind, to right. Behind it to left and right are two yachts, with sails billowing out to left. In the distance is a row of ships sailing in formation, ranging from small steam ships to tall three-masted warships, all decked with bunting, the flags fluttering out to left.

SITE

At sea off Spithead, on the south coast of England, UK. Very full accounts of the Naval Review appeared in the newspapers. See for instance 'The Great Naval Reviw', The Times, London, 22 July 1887, p. 3; 'Plan Of The Naval Review At Spithead' and 'The Naval Review', The Times, 25 July 1887, pp. 4, 7;Pall Mall Gazette, 25 July 1887.