Limehouse

Maker(s)
Artist: James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
Historical period(s)
1878
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 17.3 x 26.3 cm (6 13/16 x 10 3/8 in)
Geography
United States
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1906.135
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Print
Type

Lithograph

Keywords
boat, United States
Provenance

From at least 1906 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), from at least 1906 [1]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

Notes:

[1] See Original Whistler List, Lithographs, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Also, according to Curatorial Remark 2, G.D.G., 1921, in the object record: "No record existing of the time of purchase, the print was given a registration number for 1906, the year of the printed Inventory."

[2] 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)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Lithography was invented in 1798. By the mid-nineteenth century, it was most often used to make illustrated advertisements and other cheap prints. But Whistler was attracted by lithography's ability to produce delicate tones ranging from silvery grays to deep blacks. Here, he used different sizes of brushes, varied the strength of his washes, and scraped and incised the stone to create the dark rich tones of this gloriously moody print.

Whistler lithographs are identified by "C" numbers as described in The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998). This print is C7, second state of three.

Published References
  • The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler. 2 vol., Chicago and New York, 1998. pp. 438-443.
Collection Area(s)
American Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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