Self-Portrait

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Provenance

  Mrs. Elson [1]

  To 1904

  Obach & Co., London, to 1904 [2]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Obach & Co. in 1904 [3]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record, a note by C.L. Freer states: "Formerly owned by Mrs. Elson."

  [2] See Original Whistler List, Etchings, Voucher No. 12, May 1904, 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

  Picturing Whistler: Portraits and Self-Portraits (May 21 to December 3, 2000)

  James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art (May 11, 1984 to December 5, 1984)

  Portraits of Whistler and other Whistleriana (1918)

  James McNeill Whistler (April 09, 1915 to April 27, 1915)

  Paintings in Oil and Pastel by James A. McNeill Whistler (March 15 to May 31, 1910)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mrs. Elson

  Obach & Co. (1884-1911) (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

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1870s

• Name

  Elson, Freer, Charles Lang, Obach & Co.

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Self-portraits, American Art, Portraits

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings