A series of rowing boats draw the eye from the left to the right leading towards two heavily etched boats with dark sails sit docked below a mottled sky. The boats are reflected in the water below.

Whistler’s butterfly is present at the bottom left. Around 1869 Whistler developed a monogram signature based on his initials, which appears as a stylized butterfly. Whistler used this butterfly on his work throughout the remainder of his career, adapting the shape of the monogram over time.

Born in Massachusetts, Whistler was not strictly a marine painter, but he did produce many views of the Thames. He worked directly with his subjects and by doing so, succeeded in highlighting the existence of a working-class maritime community in the city of London.