Street at Saverne

James Abbott McNeill Whistler · 1858

James McNeill Whistler came upon this scene during a trip along the Rhine to finish a portfolio of etchings known as the French Set. Street at Saverne has been called the first of his night views, or nocturnes. The original watercolor sketch for this scene shows the street in late afternoon; when Whistler etched the plate, however, he turned it into a nocturnal scene with dramatic contrasts between light and dark.