The Forge

1861

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

This is a drawing of a rustic interior scene. The drawing depicts an interior space with a group of people engaging in various activities. The central element is an anvil or workbench, accompanied by a variety of long tools propped against the workbench. The space is characterized by wooden beams along the ceiling. On the right, there are shadows suggesting other elements like a table. The entire composition is rendered in a monochromatic palette, using cross-hatching techniques to create shading and texture. The use of line and shadow creates an impression of an industrious and somewhat historical atmosphere.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    drypoint in black on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)

  • Dimensions

    plate: 19.05 × 31.12 cm (7 1/2 × 12 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 22.54 × 35.88 cm (8 7/8 × 14 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.1532

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 86, v/vi

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Frank B. Bristow, Falls Church, Virginia; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1968; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • Whistler’s World: The Master’s Etchings, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1982, no. 12

1990

  • Haden, Whistler, Pennell: Three Master Printmakers in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1990, no. 38, repro

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 68.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock. James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, A Catalogue Raisonné. Scotland: University of Glasgow, 2012, no. 86, v/vi. http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk

Inscriptions

lower right in plate: Whistler. / 1861.; lower right edge in graphite by unknown hand: 635; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: C1433 / axxB[crossed out] 6177 K10 / 55-; lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: $36

Markings

stamped lower right verso in black ink: F.B.B. [circled]

Wikidata ID

Q77013016

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