"Planning a brief stay in Venice to create twelve commissioned etchings, Whistler became enchanted with the beauty of the city in 1879 and remained there for more than a year. He worked in all areas of the city, producing about fifty etchings, a few oils, and, most remarkably, one hundred pastels. This illustrated book is the first to follow Whistler's progress through Venice as he made his evocative portraits of the city."--BOOK JACKET.