Little Nude Model, Reading
1889–90
Medium
Transfer lithograph, printed on tan chine mounted on white wove; only state (Chicago)
Dimensions
Image: 9 in. × 7 3/16 in. (22.8 × 18.3 cm) Sheet: 12 11/16 × 9 11/16 in. (32.2 × 24.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.181
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Little Nude Model, Reading* (1889–90) captures an intimate, contemplative moment: a young female nude seated and absorbed in a book. Created during Whistler’s later career in London, this transfer lith reflects his mastery of printmaking and commitment to Aestheticism—the belief that art should prioritize beauty, harmony, and suggestion over narrative. Whistler, an American expatriate renowned for works like *Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1* (Whistler’s Mother), often drew from everyday life, infusing it with subtle tonal poetry and Japanese-inspired composition. ...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...