# Nocturne: Palaces

**James McNeill Whistler** (American, 1834–1903)  
1879–80  
Etching and drypoint; printed in dark brown ink on drum mounted medium weight ivory laid paper.  
Sheet: 11 1/2 × 7 13/16 in. (29.2 × 19.8 cm) Plate: 11 1/2 × 7 13/16 in. (29.2 × 19.8 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 40.63.8. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/359320).

## About this work

Dark palaces rise above a narrow Venetian canal at night, their doorways and windows emerging from veils of brown ink. Whistler, who spent fourteen months in Venice in 1879–80, avoided the famous sights and sought out back canals, doorways and courtyards. When printing this plate he left ink on its surface and wiped it selectively, so that every impression is a slightly different evening, darker or more luminous by turns. The image owes as much to the printer’s hand as to the etched line.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

James McNeill Whistler made this in 1879–80, aged about 45. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Drypoint.** Lines scratched straight into the plate with a needle throw up a ridge of metal, the burr, which holds ink and prints a soft, furred line. The burr wears down, so early impressions are the richest.
- **Etching.** The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing.
- **Pen and ink.** Drawn with a quill or reed pen, often with wash added by brush to model light and shadow.

### [James McNeill Whistler](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/james-mcneill-whistler)

American, 1834–1903; born in Lowell, Massachusetts; died in London

Whistler spent part of his boyhood in Russia, left West Point without graduating and trained as a painter in Paris before settling in London in 1859. He held that a picture was an arrangement of colour and form, and named his works symphonies, harmonies and nocturnes; a hostile review of one nocturne led to his 1878 libel suit against John Ruskin. He was equally committed to etching, and in his Venice plates of 1879–80 he left films of ink on the copper to suggest water and dusk.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Prints
- The artist was about 45
- Real size: about 11 × 8 in (29 × 20 cm). The 8 × 10 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 19th century
- Subjects: Buildings, Canals, Venice
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1046.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1046/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/nocturne-palaces-met-359320).