An Uninteresting Story
Soon after his arrival in England in 1871, Tissot made a series of eighteenth-century costume genre scenes with the Thames river as a backdrop. It was not until later in the decade that he decided to make an etching after one of these Thames-side historical pictures. "An Uninteresting Story" reproduces a painting of the same title (private collection), which is itself based on the first work the artist exhibited at the Royal Academy, titled ironically, "An Interesting Story</a>," ca. 1872 (National Gallery of Victoria). The comedic narrative subject of both versions aimed to appeal to Victorian tastes. In adopting the Thames-side setting, Tissot recalled the work of James McNeill Whistler, who had produced a suite of etchings featuring east London riverside scenes in 1859–61.
Artwork Details
- Title: An Uninteresting Story
- Artist: James Tissot (French, Nantes 1836–1902 Chenecey-Buillon)
- Date: 1878
- Medium: Etching and drypoint; published state
- Dimensions: Plate: 12 3/8 × 8 in. (31.5 × 20.3 cm)
Sheet: 15 13/16 × 10 11/16 in. (40.2 × 27.2 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.282.10
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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