UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Steamboats off the Tower was not published.

Two early impressions described as 'Trial proof' () and 'Another state. Trial proof' (probably ) were lent by Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) to the Union League Club in New York in 1881 under the title 'From the Custom House' . 11 Later, this time as 'Steamboats off the Tower' an impression from the collection of Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910) was shown in a print dealer's show, by H. Wunderlich & Co. in New York in 1898 and bought by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (). 12 Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) lent an impression to the exhibition organised by the Caxton Club in Chicago in 1900 (). 13

Impressions were exhibited in the Memorial Exhibitions after Whistler's death, including the Grolier Club in New York in 1904, and the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London in 1905, to which an impression of Steamboats off the Tower was lent by H.R.H. the Princess Victoria. 14

An impression listed as 'Steamboats off Tower' was sold by Whistler to the London print dealer, Thomas M. McLean (b. ca 1832), for the high price of £10.10.0 in 1887, with several other rare etchings. 15 It may have been bought by Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934) () or Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910) ().

Haden's impression was sold through H. Wunderlich & Co. in 1898 to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (). Other American collectors included Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) (, ) and John Henry Wrenn (1841-1911) (). Wrenn may have bought his impression from Wunderlich's (stock no. a 38600).

Wunderlich's also handled an impression (stock no. a 39363) that was later given by Harold K. Hochschild (1892-1981) to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York () and two (stock nos. a 49478; and 'a 38970 / a 59640' ) which were both given by Lessing Julius Rosenwald (1891-1971) to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC ().