By the Balcony

1896

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image features a drawing of most of a person's body lying down on a bed, covered by a blanket. The individual's head is resting on a pillow, with the facial features not clearly depicted. The person's head is turned slightly to the side, with short or closely cropped dark hair visible against a light pillow. The soft folds of the textured blanket are detailed. The background includes partially drawn curtains that suggest a window, with a hint of a balcony or railing outside. In the distance beyond the curtains, there is a faint cityscape or architectural structure sketched in light lines. The overall ambiance is intimate and private.

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

    lithograph in black on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 21.7 × 14.2 cm (8 9/16 × 5 9/16 in.)
    sheet: 28.5 × 21.9 cm (11 1/4 × 8 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1946.21.363

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Stratis & Tedeschi 1998, no. 160

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1963

  • American Artists as Print Makers, Westmoreland County Museum of Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 1963, no. 206.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler, Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995, no. 195.

2006

  • Whistler and Russia, State Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow, 2006 - 2007, no. 204.

Bibliography

1896

  • Way, Thomas Robert. Mr. Whistler's Lithographs: The Catalogue. London: G. Bell and Sons, 1896; New York: H. Wunderlich & Co., 1905, no. 124.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler. Exh. cat. Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995: no. 195.

1998

  • Stratis, Harriet K., and Martha Tedeschi, eds. The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, vol. 1. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1998, pp. 452-452, no. 160.

Wikidata ID

Q65076617

You may be interested in

Loading Results