James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) The Forge (Perros-Guirec). (Pl. 3 of the suite Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames and Other Subjects). 1861-1871. Drypoint. 315x190mm. Kennedy 68; Glasgow 86. Very fine proof on thin white laid paper, loaded with barbs. Small normal margins. Whistler visited Brittany in the summer of 1861 and worked on his painting The Coast of Brittany (Wadsworth Athenaeum). He also engraved this plate in Perros-Guirec, and this kind of realistic subject drew rave reviews from his French admirers - notably Baudelaire. Some of the plates in the Thames Set suite were exhibited at the Galerie Martinet in 1862. The suite includes only two French subjects, including this one.