UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

The plate was primarily etched. Drypoint was employed for fine shading on the hanging nets and figure and heavier shading on the awning and the boat's reflection. In the final state this shading was reduced, producing a more even and softer effect.

A single impression of the first state was printed in black ink, trimmed to the platemark and signed with a butterfly of about 1880 (). The second state, also printed in black ink, is on thick cream laid paper, with a signature dating from 1885 or 1886 ().

Fishing Boat was published in the 'Second Venice Set' in 1886. A record of impressions for this edition lists one delivered on 2 April, 31 July, and one on 25 August 1886, ten on 26 October, twenty-three on 15 December 1886; a total of 36. 12

The third state was printed both in black () and dark brown ink on off-white laid paper (), and one in black ink on an ivory laid paper with 'WW' countermark (). Impressions were trimmed to the platemark and signed with Whistler's butterfly in 1885 or 1886. It could well have been these impressions that were submitted to Dowdeswell's for approval or were among the first delivered in April 1886.

Whistler was under pressure to deliver impressions as quickly as possible. 'I have been up to my eyes in work' he told E.G. Brown of the Fine Art Society (who may not have realised Whistler was busy printing Venice etchings for their rivals). 13

The fourth state was probably printed between September and October 1886 and recorded as delivered on 26 October 1886. These are mostly in dark brown ink, a few in black. Several were trimmed but were signed on the tab by someone other than Whistler (i.e. ), including impressions on ivory laid paper with a Strasbourg Lily watermark (, ), and on cream laid paper (). In addition several impressions on ivory laid paper were neither trimmed nor signed by the artist (), including one with a Strasbourg Lily watermark () and another watermarked 'C. TAYLOR' ().

There were not many impressions of the fifth state; however, they were almost certainly among the batch delivered on 26 October 1886. They include impressions in black ink on pale buff light-weight laid paper, which is not trimmed or signed () and on cream 'modern' (post-1800) laid, trimmed and signed, but not by Whistler (); and one in warm black ink on a light-weight cream Japanese paper laid down on European laid paper, also not signed by the artist (). These are good, clear impressions, with light even plate tone. Whether Whistler printed them himself, or supervised and checked them after printing, the quality of impressions remained high.

As he completed the edition, Whistler apparently had leisure to print - or at least to sign - the impressions required to make up the set. Thus the final, sixth, state, delivered on 15 December 1886, was signed by the artist. It includes impressions on cream 'modern' laid (); ivory laid (), ivory laid with 'WW' countermark () and light-weight cream laid paper (). That they may have been printed by Whistler is suggested by an creative use of light plate tone, carefully wiped to create an an atmospheric misty effect () or wiped with vertical (i.e. , , ) or horizontal () strokes, suggesting water.

The cancelled plate was printed in brown ink on ivory medium-weight 'antique' laid () and black on ivory laid paper with 'Marlowe' watermark (). One of these was trimmed and signed by the artist for Dowdeswell's ().