Mud Boats on the Thames 1883

Charles Adams Platt made this etching, Mud Boats on the Thames, sometime around the turn of the century. It depicts working boats at low tide, resting on the muddy banks of London's famous river. Platt, an American artist, was part of a wider movement of artists who found inspiration in the everyday lives of working people. The late 19th century saw a surge of interest in social realism, with artists turning their attention to the lives of those often overlooked by the art establishment. These artists often critiqued the social structures of their time, using their art to comment on the conditions of the working class. To understand this etching fully, we can look at the social and economic history of London at the time. Research into the archives, newspapers, and other documents of the period can help reveal the social context in which Platt was working. We can then appreciate how art is deeply embedded in the social and institutional context of its time.