The Butcher's Shop

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Label

  References to the works of renowned Dutch artists imbue Whistler’s scenes with the patina of the past. He often beautified his glimpses of modern life with formal elements derived from recognized Old Masters. French impressionist painter Edgar Degas later described Whistler’s exploitation of seventeenth-century Dutch sources as “traveling on the road to Holland.” The Butcher’s Shop nods to Rembrandt’s oil painting, The Slaughtered Ox, a work the Louvre acquired during Whistler’s student days in Paris.

• Provenance

  From 1903 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from the artist in 1903 [1]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Whistler List, Paintings, pg. 11, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Purchased in July 1903.

  [2] 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)

  Whistler in Watercolor (May 18 to November 3, 2019)

  Small Masterpieces: Whistler Paintings from the 1880s (April 2, 2005 to November 11, 2008)

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

  American Paintings: James McNeill Whistler 1834-1903 (February 6, 1985 to March 4, 1986)

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

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

  Whistler—Landscapes and Seascapes (October 14, 1969 to September 25, 1971)

  Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler (February 23 to March 22, 1904)

• Previous custodian or owner

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1890s, 1870s

• Name

  Whistler, James McNeill, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, American Art, Store front, Business

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings