Soupe à Trois Sous (Soup for three sous [pennies])

1859

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

Five individuals are depicted in the image, seated at tables. The person on the far left stands beside a doorway, leaning forward with arms crossed on a table. This person has long, wavy hair and a bearded face. The next person, seated with head bent down, wears a cap and a jacket. Moving to the right, there are two individuals seated together; one leans back with a hat obscuring much of the face, while the other leans forward resting on an arm. On the far right, a person wearing a large brimmed hat sits with hands on the table, with facial features obscured. The individuals' clothing appears to be from an earlier era, with jackets, hats, and long sleeves. On the tables, there are various objects including bottles, cups, and a tray with plates. The scene is sketched in a simple, linear manner with minimal background detail and a faint signature to the right of the central figure.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on Japanese laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 15.24 x 22.86 cm (6 x 9 in.)
    sheet: 20.16 x 30.48 cm (7 15/16 x 12 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8431

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 64, only state


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 46684). Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia; 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. 49.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock. James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, A Catalogue Raisonné. Scotland: University of Glasgow, 2012, no. 64, only state. http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk

Inscriptions

upper center in plate: Whistler; on recto by later hand: 71652 No 27Soupe à tris sous - très rare

Wikidata ID

Q65021848

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