Confidences in the Garden

1894

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image depicts two individuals standing closely together with their backs to the viewer. The person on the left is wearing a long dress and appears to have their head turned to the right. The person on the right is head-turned toward the left and is wearing a hat and a long coat or dress. Both individuals seem to be embracing or engaged in conversation. Surrounding them are delicately drawn plants and flowers, suggesting a garden setting. In the background, there is a sketched structure resembling a building wall with architectural details like a large arch-like feature and a column or vertical beam supporting an overhead element. The overall ambiance of the image is serene and soft, created by the light, sketchy lines.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    lithograph in black on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 21.2 × 16 cm (8 3/8 × 6 5/16 in.)
    sheet: 32.4 × 20.6 cm (12 3/4 × 8 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8720

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Stratis & Tedeschi 1998, no. 100


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.

1990

  • Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900, NGA, 1990, no. 90, 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. 60.

1990

  • Clayton, Virginia Tuttle. Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1990: 90.

1998

  • Stratis, Harriet K., and Martha Tedeschi, eds. The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, vol. 1. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1998, pp. 310-311, no. 100.

Wikidata ID

Q65022140

You may be interested in

Loading Results