UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Black Lion Wharf was dated '1859' by Whistler on the copper plate. Nearly fifty years later, Whistler's biographers, the Pennells, recorded:

'Whistler once told us that he worked about three weeks on each of the Thames plates. He therefore must have spent on dated plates alone thirty-six weeks in 1861, leaving but fourteen weeks for other work and for play. ... it was about the Black Lion Wharf, one of the fullest of detail, that we especially asked Whistler. ... there is no doubt that the Thames plates, notably the Black Lion Wharf, have, for artistic rendering of inartistic subjects, and for perfect biting, never been approached by anybody.' 1

Whistler made over thirty etchings during the year, including many scenes on and by the river Thames in London, such as Thames Warehouses [46], Limehouse [48], The Pool [49], Eagle Wharf [50], Thames Police [53], and Billingsgate [51].

Black Lion Wharf was published in A Series of Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames (the 'Thames Set') by Ellis & Green in 1871.