On New York Bay

This work, originally published in American Art Review (1879), is an excellent example of Farrer’s marine subjects, combining atmospheric and light effects in one plate. The dark, richly inked undersides of the boats in the foreground contrast sharply with the delicately incised, activated lines of the water and sky.

Farrer immigrated to New York from his native England in the 1860s and began etching views of New York City and seascapes. He was one of the leading advocates for the medium of etching as a creative tool for artists, serving as one of the founders of the New York Etching Club in 1873.