Whistler with the White Lock
Medium
etching and drypoint on pale green laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 11.75 x 7.94 cm (4 5/8 x 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 22.86 x 17.78 cm (9 x 7 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8506
Art Historical Context
**Whistler with the White Lock is a captivating self-portrait etched by James McNeill Whistler 1879, showcasing the artist's mastery of printmaking. Created as an etching and drypoint on pale green laid paper, this intimate work measures just 11.75 x 7.94 cm on the plate, inviting close contemplation. Housed in the National Gallery of Art'swald Collection, it exemplifies Whistler's commitment to Aestheticism, where "art for art's sake" prioritized harmony, subtlety, and beauty over narrative. Whistler, an American expatriate in Britain, revolutionized etching in the late 19th century by blend...
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...