Nursemaid and Child

1859

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

This is a drawing of a person reclining in a pastoral landscape. The image shows a serene outdoor setting where a person is lying on the grass, covered with a patterned blanket or piece of fabric, near a rocky outcrop or hill. The background includes a gently sloping field with rows, suggesting plowed land or textured grass, leading to a small group of grazing animals, potentially cows, in the distance. The linework is delicate, with a sketch-like quality providing texture to the grassy foreground and the foliage of a cluster of trees to the left. The overall mood conveys tranquility and a connection to nature, with details highlighting the contours of the landscape and the intricacy of the figure's attire.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 9.53 x 13.34 cm (3 3/4 x 5 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 15.88 x 24.77 cm (6 1/4 x 9 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8421

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 42, state i/ii


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Fine Art Society, London, sold May 1889; (Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. A14246); Henry Harper Benedict [1844-1935], (Lugt 1298), New York; purchased by Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b-c); 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.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 37, i/ii.

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. 42, state i/ii.

Inscriptions

on plate: Whistler; on recto: Ada Thomas

Wikidata ID

Q65021837

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