The Beggars

1879/1880

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

This is a drawing of an archway leading to a sunlit street. The scene depicts a darkened passageway with intricate lines forming the arch structure, along with textures of walls and cobbled ground. An intricate lantern hangs from the ceiling, and shadows cover most of the foreground, while light highlights vague figures and outlines of a sunlit street. Two figures are on the right side, subtly detailed with wraps, and blurred outlines suggest movement in the distance. The drawing contrasts the shadowed passage with the brightness beyond, creating a sense of depth and exploration.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8528

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 190, state xiv/xvii


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 59645). Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to NGA, 1943.  

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Etchings, Lithographs, Original Drawings, and Autograph Letters by James A. McNeill Whistler, The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1931.

1951

  • Contemporary American Prints, Berlin, Germany, 1951-1952.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 194, viii/ix.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret F., Grischka Petri, Joanna Meacock.James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné. University of Glasgow on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. University of Glasgow, 2012: no. 190, state xiv/xvii.

Inscriptions

on tab: butterfly imp.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65021945

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