The Thames in Ice

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Label

  After Whistler moved from Paris to London in 1859, he found the river Thames to be a constant source of inspiration. Originally titled “The Twenty-fifth of December 1860. On the Thames,” this picture records a particular moment during a bitterly cold winter, when the river was frozen for more than fourteen weeks. Although he likely retouched the work later in the decade, Whistler claimed to have completed it in three days at an inn overlooking the river. The bold brushstrokes, somber palette, and thinly painted surface reinforce the realistic immediacy of the image. This work seems worlds away from the visual poetry of Whistler’s later Nocturnes, but there is a hint of his subsequent aestheticism in the misty gray atmosphere that envelops the factories on the far bank of the river.

• Provenance

  Seymour Haden (1818-1910), London [1]

  To 1901

  John James Cowan (1846-1936), Edinburgh, Scotland, to 1901 [2]

  From 1901 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from John James Cowan in November 1901 [3]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Remark 2, C.L. Freer, in the object record.

  [2] See Original Whistler List, Paintings, pg. 37, 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

  Freer & Whistler: Points of Contact (February 23, 2008 to January 3, 2016)

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) (April 3, 2001 to January 24, 2008)

  American Art - James McNeill Whistler (May 9, 1993 to June 30, 1997)

  Arrangement in Yellow and Gold: Paintings by James McNeill Whistler (March 14, 1986 to April 1, 1987)

  American Paintings: James McNeill Whistler (January 17, 1985 to (end date unknown))

  James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and Modern Life (May 11, 1984 to December 16, 1984)

  Winter into Spring: American Landscapes (March 4, 1982 to June 1, 1982)

  American Paintings (March 20, 1981 to September 24, 1981)

  American Paintings: James McNeill Whistler (November 11, 1976 to March 18, 1981)

  Paintings by James McNeill Whistler (August 1, 1974 to December 5, 1975)

  Whistler Paintings (October 15, 1969 to September 25, 1971)

  Whistler Paintings (September 8, 1961 to October 15, 1969)

  American Paintings (September 8, 1961 to May 2, 1973)

  American Paintings (June 9, 1960 to September 8, 1961)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 10 and 11 (February 25, 1956 to November 3, 1959)

  Untitled Exhibition, Whistler Oil Paintings, Gallery 3, 1955 (December 16, 1955 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Works of Whistler (September 22, 1947 to April 11, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, American Oil Paintings, Gallery 3, 1947 (September 25, 1947 to April 12, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, American Oil Paintings (May 1, 1933 to February 6, 1944)

  Whistler Landscapes, Oil (January 20, 1928 to May 1, 1933)

  Whistler Oils Exhibition (January 8, 1925 to January 20, 1928)

  American Paintings by J.A.McN. Whistler (May 2, 1923 to January 8, 1925)

  Exposition des Oeuvres de James McNeill Whistler (May 1905)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910)

  John James Cowan (1846-1936) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1860s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Haden, Seymour, Cowan, John James

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Boats and boating, Art, Winter, Snow, American Art, Rivers

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings