The Dog on the Kennel
1858Etching on laid paper (watermark, Pro Patria)
K.18 (1/1)
Purchased, 1958
Hunterian Art Gallery, GLAHA 46700
Whistler often worked on his copper plates on site. While he was drawing The Unsafe Tenement, the dog, which had been sleeping in the sun, jumped up on to the kennel. Whistler then stopped working on the larger plate to make this smaller study. The piles of hay are different in the two etchings, and it seems likely The Unsafe Tenement was drawn over several days to ensure consistent lighting.