A Group of Figures around a Brazier
Terms of Use
Creative CommonsAt A Glance
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Period
1858 -
Geography
United States -
Material
Pencil on off-white wove paper -
Dimension
H x W: 16.5 x 10 cm (6 1/2 x 3 15/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1898.177 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1898.177
Object Details
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Artist
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) -
Description
Recto: a group of Figures around a brazier. Verso: figures in a Chariot. -
Signatures
Unsigned. -
Paper/Support
Off-white wove paper. -
Label
In an unidentified street scene drawn from life, Whistler applied his pencil in broad, rapid strokes to capture a glimpse of modern life. A crowd presses around a brazier while a bonneted woman at the left stirs something that is heating. Typically, Whistler suppresses enough detail to make the scene ambiguous, but we may speculate that the woman is a chestnut seller. Whistler created several images of street vendors in various media. His etching of La Mere Gerard depicts an old woman who sold flowers outside the Bal Bullier in Paris (F1898.223). However, unlike the woman at the brazier, the flower seller is isolated, removed from any contextual reference point. Comparison of the two objects illustrates Whistler's budding tendency to simplify his studio work. -
Provenance
Seymour Haden (1818-1910), London [1]To 1898H. Wunderlich & Co., New York to 1898 [2]From 1898 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from H. Wunderlich & Co., through Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), in November 1898 [3]From 1920Freer 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 -
Exhibition History
James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and Modern Life (May 11, 1984 to December 16, 1984) -
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
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
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