James McNeill Whistler (Lowell, Massachusetts, 1834 - 1903, London, England)
The Little Pool, 1861
Etching and drypoint on laid paper, 10.2 x 12.4 cm (4 x 4 7/8 in.)
This etching depicts a scene at the edge of a waterway. On the left two gentlemen dressed in overcoats and top hats lean over a barrier and look down on three rows of flat boats, one with a man standing on it. Lining the left side of the waterway a contiguous row of buildings surrounds the water’s edge extending into the background. A narrow expanse of water with a few small boats fills a gap between the flat boats in the left center and the right where a compact cluster of sail boats are anchored, their rigging rising upward with their sails unfurled.
Short Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.