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This is one of Whistler's most controversial works and was produced as 'evidence' in the famous Whistler-Ruskin trial of 1878. It is the fifth in a series of Nocturnes, produced during the 1870s. Whistler's aim in these works was to convey a sense of the beauty and tranquility of the Thames by night. It was Frederick Leyland who first used the name 'nocturne' to describe these moonlit scenes, suggesting the concept of evening, or night, but with musical associations.
Date
c.1872–5
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 68.3 x W 51.2 cm
Accession number
N01959
Acquisition method
Presented by the Art Fund 1905
Work type
Painting
Stories
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Dirty old river: the Thames in art
Elise Bell
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E. H. Gombrich and 'The Story of Art' revisited
Lydia Figes