Heads of two men

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1855-1859
  • Geography

    United States
  • Material

    Pencil on off-white wove paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 14.1 x 11.9 cm (5 9/16 x 4 11/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1898.170
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1898.170

Object Details

  • Artist

    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
  • Label

    These two men appear to be sitting at a table. The one on the right resembles a bald man included in Seated Seamstress with Male Companion (F1898.166), a drawing identified with Paris. Perhaps these are artist friends of Whistler. However, in general, the piece recalls genre scenes executed during the course of Whistler's travels in the summer of 1858, and it could have been made then.
  • Provenance

    Seymour Haden (1818-1910), London [1]
    To 1898
    H. Wunderlich & Co., New York to 1898 [2]
    From 1898 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from H. Wunderlich & Co., through Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), in November 1898 [3]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Whistler List, Haden Collection Drawings, pg. 2, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [2] See Voucher No. 20, November 1898, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [3] See note 2.
    [4] 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.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910)
    H. Wunderlich & Co. (1874-1912) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    United States
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Drawing
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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