The Forge

1861

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image is a black and white sketch showing a group of people inside a space. The sketch displays parts of several figures' bodies, including a man in the foreground with his torso and upper body visible, wearing a hat, long clothes, and holding a tool in his left hand. To his right, two other individuals, likely males, are depicted from the waist up, wearing hats, long shirts, and holding tools. In the background, there are faint figures that may represent more people, some with hooded or shawl-like garments. On the right side, parts of their bodies are visible as they sit or stand near a wooden structure. The background features vertical lines, possibly representing wooden walls with hanging tools, suggesting a workshop or rustic living area.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    drypoint on Asian laid

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8444

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 86, state iv/vi


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934), London (according to Wright inscription). 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.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 68, iii/iv.

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. 86, state iv/vi.

Inscriptions

on plate: Whistler. / 1861. ('t' not crossed)

Wikidata ID

Q65021861

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