Accession Number
1954/1.417

Title
The Broad Bridge

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1878

Medium & Support
lithotint with scraping, printed in brown ink on Japan paper, laid down on heavy wove paper

Dimensions
11 3/16 x 17 1/8 in. (28.4 x 43.4 cm);11 3/16 x 17 1/8 in. (28.4 x 43.4 cm);18 1/8 x 22 1/16 in. (46 x 56 cm)

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Label copy
The Broad Bridge
1878
Lithotint with scraping on Japan paper
Only state (Way 8; Chicago 11)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.417
Whistler framed this image of the river at low tide so that the pedestrian walkway is only barely indicated, making the piers the focus of the composition. The lone boater in the foreground, the skeletal structure of the bridge, and the wooden pier at the center of the composition show the influence of the unusual vantage points and asymmetrical compositions of Japanese prints, a sample of which can be seen in the adjacent case. Since the Battersea Bridge near Whistler’s home was slated for demolition and replacement, his views of this venerable structure were,
on one level, a memorial.
The Broad Bridge and The Tall Bridge were based on preparatory chalk drawings and intended for publication in the periodical Piccadilly. The published impressions of The Broad Bridge were printed on white plate paper, but the delicate washes of lithotint did not hold up in the large print run. This rare early impression with muted tonalities on Japan paper was, according to Way, one of the “very few fine proofs.”

Subject matter
Whistler's interest in Asian art, particular Japanese woodblock prints, can be seen in this view of the old Battersea Bridge. The low vantage point, truncated span of the bridge, and the form of the boatman are all inspired by prints by Hiroshige and Hokusai.
Battersea Bridge was the last remaining wooden bridge in London when Whistler painted it and was itself slated for demolition and replacement. Like many of the warehouses and sites depicted in his Thames Set which were also scheduled for elimination as part of an urban renewal project, the old Battersea Bridge evoked a nostalgia for the passing of an era.

Physical Description
A man in a small boat with oars sits in front of a bridge, a pier of which is just behind and to the left of the boat. The viewer is also positioned on the water as only the bottom of the span is visible. Several other piers, also framed and clad with wood to protect against collision are visible on either side of the image. The distant view, seen between the piers, include a suspension bridge to the left of the central pier and the tower of a church or other buildings to the right.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
boat
boats
bodies of water (natural)
bridges
bridges (built works)
buildings
water