Moss's Wharf, Greenwich

Graham Sutherland's etching depicts the ramshackle waterfront buildings of R Moss & Sons. The premises were on Crane Wharf at 11-13 Crane Street in East Greenwich.

This print is one of Sutherland's early works, made when he was studying art at Goldsmith's College in south London, relatively near to Greenwich. At Goldsmiths, Sutherland was one of a circle of accomplished etchers who all admired the Thames prints made by James Whistler in the late 19th century. In both its subject and composition, this print clearly shows Whistler's influence.