James Abbott Mc Neill Whistler (1834-1903) Traghetto No. 2, from ‘Venice, a Series of Twelve Etchings’ (First Venice set) Etching, 1880, fourth state (of nine), with the addition of the girl and child at left and before the removal of the ‘tideline’ caused by re-etching following the third state, a fine impression, unsigned, on Japan, Glasgow records a total of 60 impressions from the plate, with wide margins Sheet: 23.5 x 30.5 cm Provenance: P. & D. Colnaghi, London, 1972 Literature: Kennedy 191; Glasgow 233 The site is the courtyard of the Ca’ da Mosto, a 13th-century Venetian-Byzantine style palace north of the Rialto bridge in the district of Cannaregio, Venice, Italy. 6 This view, drawn accurately on the copper plate, is reversed, as usual, in the print. Venice, a Series of Twelve Etchings (the ‘First Venice Set’) was commissioned by the Fine Art Society, London, in 1879. Whistler arrived in Venice in September 1879 and returned 14 months later. The set consisted of twelve etchings which the artist began printing already while he was in Venice, then continued when he returned to London. He was fascinated by the different effects of inking and wiping the plate and continued working on printing the series until the end of his life