UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

clothing, façade, rags, shop.

Whistler's original title is not known, so descriptive titles were given to the copper plate:

'Beginning of a Rag Shop' (1903/1935, possibly Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958)). 1
'Rag Shop' (2010, Whistler Etching Project).

The descriptive title 'Beginning of a Rag Shop' was given to the copper plate, possibly by Miss Birnie Philip, who inherited the plates from Whistler's estate and gave them to the University of Glasgow in 1935. 'Rag Shop' is a more accurate title, since the question of whether an etching is only just begun or finished is not usually reflected in the title.

The bottom two storeys of a building are drawn parallel to the plate edges. There is a door on each side of a wide shop-window, with old clothes hanging to left of the window. Above, there are two windows, with people looking out of the one on the right, and shutters half-open on the left.

The shuttered windows suggest this might be a European - rather than British - subject. It is quite close in style to Whistler's etchings of Amsterdam, and the plate is close in size to two of his Amsterdam plates, The Steps, Amsterdam [452] and Bridge, Amsterdam [447].

This is one of many rag or old clothes shops etched by Whistler including Rag Shop, Milman's Row, Chelsea [329], The Little Rag Shop, Milman's Row [265] and The Rag Shop, Milman's Row [290].