Early Morning

1878

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a river scene from an elevated perspective, with a wide expanse of water in view. The horizon is high in the composition, with faint outlines of buildings and structures interrupting the skyline. The brushstrokes are delicate and loose, creating a sense of softness and blending the elements in the scene. The color palette is limited to sepia and soft gray tones. Two figures are barely discernible near the viewer, adding a sense of scale and human presence to the waterscape.

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

    lithotint in black on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 16.5 × 25.9 cm (6 1/2 × 10 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 27.5 × 37.9 cm (10 13/16 × 14 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8667

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Stratis & Tedeschi 1998, no. 9, i/iv

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased April 3, 1930 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.

1972

  • Lithography in the 19th Century: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Collection, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, 1972-1973, no. 40, repro.

Bibliography

1896

  • Way, Thomas Robert. Mr. Whistler's Lithographs: The Catalogue. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1896; New York: H. Wunderlich & Co., 1905, no. 7.

1998

  • Stratis, Harriet K., and Martha Tedeschi, eds. The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, vol. 1. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1998, pp. 66-71, no. 9, i/iv.

Inscriptions

on stone: (butterfly); by later hands: W. 7 / Can't make out the state from Way

Wikidata ID

Q65022086

You may be interested in

Loading Results