From the exhibition Whistler and Venice January 29-May 28, 2003 Whistler used plate tone and antique paper to achieve extraordinary effects of light and atmosphere in his etchings. Plate tone is achieved by wiping and distributing the ink so that a light film remains on chosen areas of the plate, creating the “tone” across the paper when printed. The additional luminosity of Whistler’s etchings comes from his use of discarded eighteenth-century Dutch papers, which were characterized by a golden tint. Whistler devised a technique of heating the copper plate to intensify the golden cast of the aged paper and to produce its distinctive, silky sheen.