James McNeill Whistler
Medium
Photolithograph on tan paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 8 1/16 in. (24.7 × 20.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.665
Tags
About this artwork
This photolithograph on tan paper by Paul Adolphe Rajon|James McNeill Whistler from ca. 1880 represents the artistic and cultural achievements of its period. Printmaking during this era served multiple functions, providing affordable art for collectors, documenting contemporary life, and demonstrating technical virtuosity. The medium allowed wide distribution, making visual culture accessible beyond elite patronage. This example showcases period craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibilities, offerin...
Art Historical Context
This evocative photolithograph, titled *James McNeill Wh* and created by French printmaker Paul Adolpheon around 1880, captures the renowned American artist in a intimate portrait on warm tan paper. Measuring just 9 3/4 × 8 1/16 inches, this compact print exemplifies the late 19th-century of photography and lithography, technique known as photolithography. By transferring photographic images onto lithographic stones, artists like Rajon could produce detailed, reproducible works that mimicked the nuances of drawings or paintings, bridging traditional craftsmanship with emerging technology. Jam...