Wapping

1860-1864

James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

We look slightly down at a woman with pale skin and two men with ruddy complexions sitting at a table near a railing overlooking a boat-clogged waterway in this horizontal painting. Only the corner of the table is visible in the lower right corner of the canvas. The woman sits next to one man on the far side of the table, and the third person leans onto the table from our right, along the edge of the composition. The table is covered with a dark, ruby-red, floral cloth. The red-haired woman wears a dark green dress and leans back, extending her right arm along the railing. Her back is to the river below, and she gazes directly ahead, to our right. The dark-haired, bearded man sitting to her left, our right, leans toward the cleanshaven, dark-haired man sitting across from him. That second man wears a cap, and he has a prominent nose and square jaw. Sailboats, rowboats, a steamship, and vessels of every size occupy much of the waterway. Rows of buildings extend along the river to our left and right, and trees line the distant horizon at the center of the painting. The river is a tan color and the pale blue sky is hazy.

Media Options

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On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 68

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    John Hay Whitney Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 72 x 101.8 cm (28 3/8 x 40 1/16 in.)
    framed: 92.1 x 123.5 x 7.6 cm (36 1/4 x 48 5/8 x 3 in.)

  • Accession

    1982.76.8

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

George Alfred Lathrop [1819-1877] by 1866; purchased by 1867 by Thomas DeKay Winans [1820-1878], Baltimore;[1] his daughter, Celeste Winans [Mrs. G. M.] Hutton, Baltimore, until at least 1923; Flora MacDonald White, New York; sold 29 September 1928 to John Hay Whitney [1904-1982], Manhasset, New York;[2] deeded 1982 to the John Hay Whitney Charitable Trust, New York; gift 1982 to NGA.
[1] For an extended discussion of the painting's provenance, see Margaret F. MacDonald, Grischka Petri, James McNeill Whistler: The paintings, a catalogue raisonné, University of Glasgow, 2020, website at http://whistlerpaintings.gla.ac.uk, no. 35. Based on a letter of 25 April 1864 from William Bell Scott to James Leathart, Gordon Fleming, The Young Whistler (London, 1978:196), indicated that Whistler had sold the painting to Winans in 1864. However, the painting was lent to the 1866 Artists' Fund Society exhibition by Dr. George A. Lathrop. According to an unidentified newspaper clipping in the Winans-Hutton Family Scrapbook, ms. 916, box 18, Maryland Historical Society Manuscripts Division, Winans purchased Wapping in 1867 when it was exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris (according to the same source Whistler "wanted it for exhibition at Goupil's, in 1892, but could not get it and it has not been seen in Europe since 1867.") Elizabeth Robins Pennell and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler (2 vols., London, 1908: I:88), indicated that Winans brought the painting to Baltimore shortly after the 1867 Paris exhibition. Winans had accompanied the artist's father Major George Washington Whistler to Russia in 1844, where they began construction on a railroad line between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Winans became wealthy through the venture, and shortly after returning to Baltimore in 1851 built "Alexandroffsky." Whistler had briefly worked for the Winans Locomotive Company at Baltimore in 1854, after his discharge from West Point. His elder half-brother George Whistler married into the Winans family. For biographical information on Winans see Bertram Lippincott III, "The Hutton Family of 'Shamrock Cliff'," Newport History. Bulletin of the Newport Historical Society 64, no. 221 (Fall 1991): 164-166; and Alexandra Lee Levin, "Inventive, Imaginative, and Incorrigible: The Winans Family and the Building of the First Russian Railroad," Maryland Historical Magazine 84 (Spring 1989): 50-55.
[2] Whitney's 1928 purchase from White is according to records from the John Hay Whitney Foundation (now kept at Yale University Library). See summary of information in NGA curatorial records.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1864

  • 96th Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1864, no. 585.

1866

  • Artists' Fund Exhibition, New York, 1866, no. 360, as On the Thames.

1867

  • Possibly 85th Exhibition, Oeuvres de peinture, sculpture, architecture, gravure et lithographie des artists vivants, Palais des Champs-Elysées (The Salon), Paris, 1867, as Sur la Tamise, l'hiver.

  • Universal Exhibition, U.S.A. Section, Paris, 1867, two catalogues: no. 76, as Wapping or On the Thames, and no. 69, as Wapping, On the Thames.

1876

  • Charity Art Exhibition, Academy of Music, Baltimore, 1876, no. 39.

1923

  • Inaugural Exhibition, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1923, no. 242.

1932

  • American Painting and Sculpture, 1862-1932, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1932-1933, no. 114, as Wapping Docks, London.

1938

  • Trois Siècles d'Art aux Etats-Unis, Musée du Jeu de Paume, Paris, 1938, no. 174, pl. 11, as Wapping on Thames.

1940

  • Paintings of London, Paris, M. Knoedler and Co., Inc., New York, 1940, no. 22, as Wapping-on-Thames.

1949

  • James McNeill Whistler, Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, Connecticut, 1949, no. 28, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1954

  • Sargent, Whistler and Mary Cassatt, Art Institute of Chicago; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1954, no. 93, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1956

  • Pictures Collected by Yale Alumni, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, 1956, no. 70, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1960

  • James McNeill Whistler: An Exhibition of Paintings and Other Works, Organized by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the English-Speaking Union of the United States, The Arts Council Gallery, London; M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, 1960, no. 5.

  • The John Hay Whitney Collection, Tate Gallery, London, 1960-1961, no. 65, as Wapping on Thames.

1966

  • Art of the United States: 1670-1966, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1966, no. 293, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1968

  • American Art from Alumni Collections, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, 1968, no. 112, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1971

  • From Realism to Symbolism: Whistler and His World, Wildenstein Gallery, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1971, no. 10, repro.

1977

  • London and the Thames: Paintings of Three Centuries, National Maritime Museum for the Department of Environment, Somerset House, London, 1977, no. 63, repro.

1983

  • The John Hay Whitney Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1983, no. 73, repro., as Wapping on Thames.

1987

  • The Image of London: Views by Travelers and Emigrés 1550-1920, Barbican Art Gallery, London, 1987, no. 155, fig. 16.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler, Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1994-1995, no. 33, repro.

1997

  • The Victorians: British Painting in the Reign of Queen Victoria, 1837-1901, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1997, no. 27, color repro.

1998

  • Gifts to the Nation from Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999, no cat.

2001

  • Great British Paintings from American Collections: Holbein to Hockney, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven; The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, 2001-2002, no. 60, repro.

2004

  • Turner, Whistler, Monet, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Tate Britain, London, 2004-2005, no. 26, repro.

2013

  • An American in London: Whistler and the Thames, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, 2013-2014, no. 29, repro.

2022

  • The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler, Royal Academy of Arts, London; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2022, pl.

Bibliography

1905

  • Bénédite, Léonce. "Artistes contemporains: Whistler." Gazette des Beaux-Arts 33 (1905): 496-497.

1908

  • Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell. The Life of James McNeill Whistler. 2 vols. London, 1908: 1:88-89, 91, 127, 140, repro. facing 88.

1917

  • Duret, Théodore. Whistler. Translated by Frank Rutter. London, 1917: 41 (original edition, Paris, 1904).

1921

  • Pennell, Elizabeth Robins. The Whistler Journal. Philadelphia, 1921: 119, 122, 161-162.

1956

  • Rewald, John. "French Paintings in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney." The Connoisseur 134, no. 552 (April 1956):140, repro.

1960

  • James McNeill Whistler. An Exh. of Paintings and Other Works, Organized by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the English-Speaking Union of the U.S.. Exh. cat. The Arts Council Gallery and Knoedler Galleries, London and New York, 1960: 34-35, pl. 4.

1963

  • Sutton, Denys. Nocturne: The Art of James McNeill Whistler. London, 1963: 43, fig. 5.

1966

  • Sutton, Denys. James McNeill Whistler: Paintings, Etchings, Pastels, Watercolours. London, 1966: 9, 186, color pl. 11.

1978

  • Fleming, Gordon. The Young Whistler. London, 1978: 158-159, 196-198, fig. 22.

  • Taylor, Hilary. James McNeill Whistler. London, 1978: 22-23, fig. 18.

1980

  • Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, and Robin Spencer, with the assistance of Hamish Miles. The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler. 2 vols. New Haven, 1980: 1:14-15, no. 35; 2:pl. 23, 368, 376.

1982

  • Spencer, Robin. "Whistler's Subject Matter: 'Wapping' 1860-1864." Gazette des Beaux-Arts 100 (October 1982): 131-142, fig. 1.

1983

  • Rewald, John. The John Hay Whitney Collection. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1983: 172-173, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 557, no. 848, color repro.

1988

  • Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 140, no. 47, color repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 379, repro.

1994

  • Anderson, Ronald, and Anne Koval. James McNeill Whistler: Beyond the Myth. New York, 1994: 94-95, color pl. 3.

  • Dorment, Richard, and Margaret F. MacDonald. James McNeill Whistler. Exh. cat. Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. London, 1994: no. 33, 103-104, color repro.

1995

  • Koval, Anne. Whistler and His Time. London, 1995: 28-31.

1996

  • Warner, Malcolm. The Victorians: British Painting 1837-1901. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1996: 110-111, no. 27, color repro. (exhibition was in 1997).

1998

  • Merill, Linda. The Peacock Room: A Cultural Biography. Washington D.C., Freer Gallery of Art, 1998: 55-56, fig. 1.10, repro.

  • Torchia, Robert Wilson, with Deborah Chotner and Ellen G. Miles. American Paintings of the Nineteenth Century, Part II. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1998: 233-238, color repro.

2003

  • Merrill, Linda, et al. After Whistler: The Artist and His Influence on American Painting. Exh. cat. High Museum of Art, Atlanta; The Detroit Institute of Arts. Atlanta, 2003: 12, fig. 4.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 335, no. 270, color repro.

2005

  • Monet's London: Artists' Reflections on the Thames, 1859-1914. Exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida; Brooklyn Museum of Art; Baltimore Museum of Art. St. Petersburg, 2005: 22-23, fig. 6.

2022

  • Wolfe, Alexandra. "Whistler's Unconventional Beauty." The Wall Street Journal (June 10, 2022): n.p., repro.

  • Cooper, Elena. "Whistler's 'Sympony in White no. 1' through the lens of copyright history." _Burlington Magazine_164 no. 1430 (May 2022): 487.

2023

  • Murphy, Paul Thomas. Falling Rocket: James Whistler, John Ruskin, and the Battle for Modern Art. New York, 2023: 5, color plate.

Inscriptions

lower right: Whistler. / 1861

Wikidata ID

Q9370959

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