Whistler was influenced by the development of photography, which drew attention to the fact that the human eye cannot focus on all parts of a scene at once. Here, he juxtaposed the "out-of-focus" foreground with the sharply drawn background. He used multiple overlapping contour lines to suggest the movement of the rowboat at the right. Clearly labeled in the upper right corner of the etching, Black Lion Wharf was located between London Bridge and the entrance to Wapping Basin.
Whistler etchings are identified by "K" numbers as assigned in Edward Kennedy's catalogue, The Etched Work of Whistler, (New York: Grolier Club, 1910; and subsequent editions). This print is K42; second state of three.
