Cameo, No.I

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a sketch of a woman depicted from the side in a crouched or seated position, facing toward the right side of the image. Her entire body is shown although she is bent over, placing her head close to a small animal, possibly a dog, that she is interacting with. Her hair appears to be styled in a bun at the back of her head, with some hair covering part of her face, and there seems to be a ribbon or band securing the hair. She is wearing a long, flowing dress that envelops her body and drapes onto the floor. There are no visible pieces of jewelry or objects held in her hands besides the interaction with the animal. The background is plain and consists of a simple paper texture, focusing all attention on the sketched figures with no additional elements or scenery to consider.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on Asian wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (trimmed to plate): 17.7 × 12.8 cm (6 15/16 × 5 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8620

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 459, only state


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 55624?). 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. 347

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. 459, only state.

Inscriptions

lower left verso in graphite: [?] proof. / signed wth butterfly; lower left in graphite by unknown hand: a55620 / EHX; lower right in graphite by unknown hand: 15 (circled) / (two tiny circles)

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65022036

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