Limehouse

Whistler moved from Paris to London in 1859. Rather than depict monuments and historic buildings in his etchings, he preferred to portray the bustling life along the river Thames. He used multiple kinds of lines and cross-hatching to suggest different materials—timber, sail cloth, water, stonework and shingles.

Limehouse, like The Limeburner and Black Lion Wharf, is part of a group of etchings known as the Thames Set. The subject matter and innovative linear technique that characterize Whistler’s Thames Set make it a landmark in the history of original etching. Additionally, the prints were recognized as a valuable record of a vanishing London when first published in 1871.