The Piano

Maker(s)
Artist: James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
Historical period(s)
ca. 1875
Medium
Drypoint; ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 23.2 x 15.8 cm (9 1/8 x 6 1/4 in)
Geography
United States
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1893.58
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Print
Type

Intaglio

Keywords
cancelled plate, music, musician, piano, United States
Provenance

To 1893
M. Knoedler & Co., New York to 1893 [1]

From 1893 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from M. Knoedler & Co., New York, in March of 1893 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See List of Whistler Objects transferred to Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. This print is part of a set that was purchased from Knoedler and Co. in March of 1893. The set was kept in the Reserve Section until January of 1921, when it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution and each print given a registration number for that year (see Curatorial Remark 1, G. D. Guest, 1921, in the object package). See also, Accession List, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

M. Knoedler & Co. (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Whistler etchings are identified by "G" numbers as assigned in "James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonn&‌eacute;," by Margaret F. McDonald, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock (University of Glasgow, 2012), http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. This print is G144, state not provided.

Published References
  • Margaret F. MacDonald, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, Joanna Meacock. James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonée., 2012. .
  • Howard Mansfield. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Etchings and Dry-points of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Chicago, 1909. .
  • Katharine Lochnan. The Etchings of James McNeill Whistler. Exh. cat. New Haven and London, 1984. .
  • Edward G. Kennedy. The Etched Work of Whistler: Illustrated by Reproductions in Collotype of the Different States of the Plates. 4 vols., New York, 1910. .
Collection Area(s)
American Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use

Related Objects