Nocturne

1879/1880

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a misty seascape. The horizon is low in the composition, with silhouettes of ships with tall masts and a distant cityscape or structures. The style uses soft brushstrokes blurring the lines between water and sky. The color palette is monochromatic, using shades of brown and sepia. The water reflects gentle textures with a soft focus.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint in dark brown ink on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 20.16 × 29.53 cm (7 15/16 × 11 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8518

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 222, state ix/ix

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 21878). (Charles Sessler), Philadelphia; purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA, 1930 (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.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 85, repro.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler, Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995, no. 122.

2004

  • "Turner, Whistler, Monet", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Tate Britain, London, 2004-2005, no. 104.

2016

  • Three Centuries of American Prints: from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington; National Gallery in Prague, Prague 1; Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, Mexico City; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, 2016 - 2017, no. 39.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 184, iv/v.

1982

  • Fine, Ruth E. Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1982, no 85.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler. Exh. cat. Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995: no. 122.

1996

  • Hults, Linda C. The Print in the Western World. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1996, 567; fig. 9.55, 570.

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. 222, state ix/ix.

2016

  • National Gallery of Art. Highlights from the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Washington, 2016: 240, repro.

Inscriptions

on tab: [butterfly imp.]; by later hands, ower right on the verso: 1093 / EO

Watermarks

Pz? Countermark?(not in Chicago)

Wikidata ID

Q65021935

You may be interested in

Loading Results