Nut Shop, St James's Place, Houndsditch

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Edition/State

  2, 2

• Label

  Located at the heart of London’s Jewish Quarter, St. James’s Place in Houndsditch had long been a market frequented by sellers who filled their carts with foods purchased after fierce bargaining. In the book London Labour and the London Poor (1851), journalist Henry Mayhew described an orange and nut market there as devoid of upmarket selling techniques. “Not a gilt letter is to be seen over a doorway; there is no display of gaudy colour, or sheets of plate-glass, such as we see in a crowded thoroughfare when a customer is to be caught by show. As if the merchants knew their trade was certain, they are content to let the London smoke do their painter’s work.” By the time Whistler etched this image, the area had become a respectable working-class neighborhood like Chelsea.

  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 G356 state 2 of 2.

• Provenance

  To 1904

  Rosalind Birnie-Philip (1873-1958), to 1904 [1]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by Rosalind Birnie-Philip in 1904 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Object file.

  [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: Streetscapes, Urban Change (November 18, 2023 to May 4, 2024)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) (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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1890s, 1870s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Birnie Philip, Rosalind

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Architecture, American Art, Store front, Children, Etching (printing process), Business

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Prints