A Sketch of the Embankment

c. 1884/1886

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a sketched scene from an elevated perspective with several figures and faintly drawn structures. The horizon includes rooftops and spires, hinting at an urban or village landscape. The sketch is minimalistic with sparse, quick linear strokes outlining people and buildings. The color palette is muted in cream and gray tones, giving the piece a subtle quality. Closest to us are sketchy impressions of people standing and seated, defined by few lines. In the background, faint indications of architecture add depth to the composition.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 4.3 × 13.5 cm (1 11/16 × 5 5/16 in.)
    sheet: 11 × 25.4 cm (4 5/16 × 10 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8576

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 268, only state

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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.

1964

  • Old Master Prints from the National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection, organized by the Smithsonian Travelling Exhibitions Service, toured to Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, TN; University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, Spokane, WA; University of Southern California, Los Angeles; University of Kansas Museum of Art, Lawrence; Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH; Dullin Gallery of Art, Knoxville, TN; Atlanta Art Association, GA; York Junior College Gallery, York, PA; Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Hill School, Pottstown, PA; Milwaukee Art Center, WI; and Western Washington State College. Bellingham, WA, 1964-1966, no. 43.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 260.

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. 268, only state.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly); lower left on the recto: Sketch on the Embankment; lower left on the verso: c (underlined) / N/-/- and 5/5/-; 9729

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65021992

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