The Smithy

c. 1880

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows the interior of a cluttered workshop with large windows on the left side. The color palette consists of sepia tones, giving the scene an aged, monochromatic look. In the foreground, there are several tables and various tools scattered across the floor. A figure is near the center, surrounded by equipment and furniture. The ceiling reaches upwards, slanting slightly to the right, where the overall texture of the image is rough and densely detailed, suggesting shadows and depth in the workshop setting.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint in dark brown on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (trimmed to plate): 17.3 × 22.7 cm (6 13/16 × 8 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8566

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 239, state v/vi

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Owned by Sir John C. F. S. Day [1826-1908], London according to E.G. Kennedy, 1910. Henry Harper Benedict [1844-1935], New York, (Lugt 2936). (Knoedler & Co., New York.) Purchased November 26, 1929 by Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to National Gallery of Art, 1943.  

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

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

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 240, iv/v.

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. 239, state v/vi.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly); on tab: (butterfly) imp; lower left on verso: MK 32560

Watermarks

S WISE & CO / 1823 with heart (Chicago watermark 320)

Wikidata ID

Q65021982

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