Image 1 of 2
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Creative Commons

At A Glance

  • Period

    1882-1884
  • Geography

    United States
  • Material

    Watercolor on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 17.7 x 25.3 cm (6 15/16 x 9 15/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.170a-c
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.170a-c

Object Details

  • Artist

    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
  • Description

    Several figures scattered along a broad beach; the sea in the distance; unsigned.
  • Signatures

    Unsigned.
  • Paper/Support

    On cold-pressed, wove paper mounted overall to board. The paper support is mounted on top of a manufactured board that already had a facing paper.
  • Provenance

    To 1902
    Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934), London, to 1902 [1]
    From 1902 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Henry Studdy Theobald in 1902 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Whistler List, Purchases from Thoebald, pg. 8, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Voucher No. 1, August 1902,
    Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [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.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Whistler in Watercolor (May 18 to November 3, 2019)
    Mr. Whistler's Galleries: Avant-garde in Victorian London, 1883 (November 20, 2003 to April 4, 2004)
    Untitled Exhibition, Whistler Watercolors, Oil Paintings, and Pastels (January 20, 1944 to October 13, 1947)
    Whistler Pastels and Drawings, Re-arranged and some additions (January 7, 1924 to January 20, 1944)
    Whistler Water Colors (January 7, 1924 to April 4, 1930)
    American Paintings, Pastels, and Water Colors, and Drawings. J.A.McN. Whistler (May 2, 1923 to January 7, 1924)
    Exposition des Oeuvres de James McNeill Whistler (May 1905)
    "Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes" (May 1884)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934) (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)

    This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. 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 National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring