Clothes Exchange, No.I

1887

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

This image shows a street view from an elevated position looking down a narrow, bustling urban alley. The horizon line is not visible as the alley leads the eye into the deeper part of the image where the street curves. The artwork features an etching style with fine lines outlining the architecture and figures, creating a sense of movement. The color palette is monochromatic, primarily using shades of beige and brown with variations achieved through hatching. The contrast draws attention to the lively activity of the people and the structural details of the buildings. Buildings line both sides of the street, with more detail toward the central area including awnings and groups of people.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint in dark brown on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (trimmed to plate): 16 × 24.1 cm (6 5/16 × 9 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8590

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 358, state i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 65796). Bought November 7, 1929 by 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.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 287, 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. 358, state i/ii.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly, and a faint second butterfly to the upper left of it); on tab: (butterfly) imp; in plate, on signboard above packing station: PHILP & Co. / PACKER; lower right on the verso by Whistler: butterfly; Old Clothes Exchange, Houndsditch; by later hands, lower right on the verso: 1st State - / Clothes Exchange; lower centre on the verso: L / c / u (the L reversed) erased along with an illegible price

Watermarks

DHK countermark (Chicago watermark 108)

Wikidata ID

Q65022007

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