Free Trade Wharf RMG PW5483 - Drawing. Public domain image.

Free Trade Wharf
A view of the Thames from Limehouse, with Free Trade Wharf in Ratcliffe on the right. This busy wharf occupied several warehouses built by the East India Company in the 1790s. In 1871 the buildings along the bank were demolished and replaced by large warehouses. Luxury housing now covers the site. Despite the busy nature of the wharf Whistler has created a still scene with less engagement with people and the river shown as an empty space. The buildings have been reduced to schematic patterning, with the shape of the shadow of the buildings on the left cast by the building next door. A woman hovers on the right.
Whistler’s butterfly is present at the bottom left corner. Around 1869 Whistler developed a monogram signature based on his initials, which appears as a stylized butterfly. Whistler used this butterfly on his work throughout the remainder of his career, adapting the shape of the monogram over time.
Born in Massachusetts, Whistler was not strictly a marine painter, but he did produce many views of the Thames. Although not included in the 'Series of Sixteen Etchings’ which was published in 1871, this etching encompasses the same theme and is compositionally similar. He etched the plates for these prints after he moved to Wapping in 1859. After 1859 Whistler began working in a direct to plate drypoint technique. He worked directly with his subjects and by doing so, succeeded in highlighting the existence of a working-class maritime community in the city of London.

Free Trade Wharf