St James's Street

1878

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image is a street view from an elevated perspective. A busy city street is depicted, with tall buildings on either side. In the distance, a clock tower or similar building is faintly visible. The architecture is detailed and rendered in fine, linear brushstrokes. The color palette is monochrome with sepia tones, giving it a classic aesthetic. Figures and horse-drawn carts populate the street, creating a lively atmosphere. The street narrows in the distance, leading the viewer's eye towards the horizon.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook

  • Dimensions

    plate: 27.7 x 15.1 cm (10 7/8 x 5 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 36 x 22.6 cm (14 3/16 x 8 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1987.41.70

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 178, state iv/iv

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Bernard Buchanan MacGeorge [1845?-1924], Glasgow, (Lugt 394). (H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, stock no. a 48255). Henry Harper Benedict [1844-1935], New York, (Lugt 1298). John Nichols Estabrook and Dorothy Coogan Estabrook; gift to NGA, 1987.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • Prints by James McNeill Whistler and His Contemporaries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995, as Saint James Street.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 160, iii/iii.

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. 178, state iv/iv.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate butterfly signature; lower right in graphite: W.140;lower left verso in graphite: a48255 / R10431

Watermarks

Coat of arms

Wikidata ID

Q74876911

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