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Little Venice

1880
Etching on laid paper (watermark, hunting horn)
K.183 (before the 1st state recorded by Kennedy)
The Whistler Estate, bequeathed by Rosalind Birnie Philip, 1958
Hunterian Art Gallery, GLAHA 46797

A sparkling panorama of Venice from the Lido, this etching shows Whistler's masterly draughtsmanship and expressive use of line. One of the last etchings drawn by Whistler in Venice, the copper plate was bitten back in London. This early proof shows extensive marks of scraping and burnishing, where Whistler had begun to tidy up blemishes on the plate. Most impressions were printed with a light surface tone of ink, suggesting the colour of still waters.