Bird Shop-Seven Dials

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 2
Download Image IIIF

Terms of Use

Usage Conditions Apply

At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1886-1888
  • Geography

    United States
  • Material

    Etching; ink on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 13.4 x 9.7 cm (5 1/4 x 3 13/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1903.159
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1903.159

Object Details

  • Artist

    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
  • Label

    In his Dictionary of London (1879), Charles Dickens, Jr. described a bird market located in Seven Dials, where seven streets still meet in what was once (but is no longer) “one of the poorest districts in London.” Dickens called the area “the abode of bird-fanciers. Every variety of pigeon, fowl, and rabbit can be found here, together with rare birds, such as hawks and owls, parrots, love-birds, and other species native and foreign.” Whistler offers viewers a scene of fowl on view for both visual and literal consumption.
    Whistler etchings are identified by "G" numbers as assigned in "James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonn&‌eacute;," by Margaret F. McDonald, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock (University of Glasgow, 2012), http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. This print is G384 state 1 of 1.
  • Provenance

    Cox Collection [1]
    To 1903
    Obach & Co., London, to 1903 [2]
    From 1903 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Obach & Co. in 1903 [3]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]
    Notes:
    [1] See Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, Collections Management Office.
    [2] See Original Whistler List, Etchings, Voucher No. 1, July 11- November 1903, 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

    Whistler: Streetscapes, Urban Change (November 18, 2023 to May 4, 2024)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Cox Collection
    Obach & Co. (1884-1911) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    United States
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Print
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

    There are restrictions for re-using this media. 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