UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

belltower, boat, canal, church, gondola, lagoon, man, panorama, port, quay, sailors, sailing ship, sea, shipping, steamboat.

Only one main title is known, with one variation, as in the following examples:


'San Giorgio' (1882, Whistler). 1
'San Giorgio' (1883, FAS). 2
'San Giorgio' (1886, Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921)). 3
'Woodbarges' (1908, Otto Henry Bacher (1856-1909)). 4

Bacher's desriptive title is interesting in that he knew the site, but clearly 'San Giorgio' was Whistler's original title and was accepted by later cataloguers.

In the foreground at right is a quayside with two boats moored to a cluster of posts, and a man in a small boat beside them. Astern there is another man in a boat; an empty boat lies alongside the quay in front. In the lagoon beyond are numerous two-masted sailing boats. In the distance is a panoramic view of Venice. Behind a long white steamer rise the façade, dome and campanile of the church of San Giorgio.

According to Otto Henry Bacher (1856-1909), 'The etching, Wood Barges, was made on the Giudecca Canal, looking toward the San Giorgio, where these boats were always moored, waiting for prospective purchasers.' 5 It shows the church and island of San Giorgio, Venice, Italy. 6 This view, drawn accurately on the copper plate, is reversed, as usual, in the print.