Melon-Shop, Hounsditch

c. 1886/1888

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a sketch with multiple figures inside a room and two seated individuals outside beneath a window. The people inside are facing forward, appearing to be behind a counter or desk with various items around them. Their facial features are somewhat indistinct and they have short, roughly styled hair. The figures outside are seated side by side, showing upper body details and similar facial features with simple, tidy hairstyles. They wear clothing that suggests turn-of-the-century fashion. There is no jewelry or objects held by the figures. The background is rendered with a textured, cross-hatched style, depicting shelves and creating a sense of depth in the enclosed environment.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (trimmed to plate): 12.7 × 17.8 cm (5 × 7 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8596

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 355, state i/v


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Knoedler & Co., New York. Purchased November 10, 1928 by Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to National Gallery of Art, 1943.  

Associated Names

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 293, i/iii.

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. 355, state i/v.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly); on tab: (butterfly) imp; lower left on verso: MK 30957; 165; lower center on verso: Melon Shop-; lower right on the verso: Hounsditch

Watermarks

illegible-- possibly the upper tips of the letters of PRO PATRIA?

Wikidata ID

Q65022013

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