Street at Saverne

1858

Not on view

After visiting the Alsatian town of Saverne in the summer of 1858, Whistler produced his first etched Nocturne. Sharp recession heightens the irregular forms of old buildings, with a gas lantern hanging at right casting deep shadows. The choice of blue paper and "artistic" inking, carried out by the leading Parisian printer Auguste Delâtre, enhance the effect. Whistler included this work in his first published set, Douze eaux-fortes d’après nature (Twelve Etchings from Nature), which he always referred to as the "French Set."

Artwork Details

Title: Street at Saverne
Series/Portfolio: French Set ("Douze eau-fortes d'apres Nature" 1858)
Artist: James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London)
Date: 1858
Medium: Etching and open bite or sandpaper ground, printed in black ink on blue chine on off-white wove paper (chine collé); third state of four (Glasgow)
Dimensions: Plate: 8 3/16 × 6 1/4 in. (20.8 × 15.9 cm)
Sheet: 17 1/16 × 11 15/16 in. (43.3 × 30.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Object Number: 17.3.12
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By James McNeill Whistler

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

The artist's butterfly in an enlarged version with a forked tail

James McNeill Whistler

19th century

Reading, James McNeill Whistler American, Lithograph with scraping; printed in black ink on grayish chine mounted on ivory wove paper; fourth state of four (Chicago) — Reading
James McNeill Whistler
1879

Windsor (Memorial), James McNeill Whistler American, Drypoint; third state of four (Glasgow); printed in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper — Windsor (Memorial)
James McNeill Whistler
1887

Early Morning, James McNeill Whistler American, Lithotint with scraping, on a prepared half-tint ground, printed in black ink on cream wove paper; third state of four (Chicago) — Early Morning
James McNeill Whistler
1878

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.