Nocturne: Battersea Bridge

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Label

  This vivid pastel is a preliminary study for a two-panel japonesque screen that Whistler painted in 1872 for his patron Frederick R. Leyland (1831-1892).

  The only screen that Whistler ever painted, Blue and Silver: Screen, with Old Battersea Bridge is now in the Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland. The view is towards London, with the Chelsea clock-tower behind the bridge to the left.

• Provenance

  To 1904

  P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London, to 1904 [1]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from P. & D. Colnaghi & Co. in 1904 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Whistler List, Paintings, pg. 26, 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: Streetscapes, Urban Change (November 18, 2023 to May 4, 2024)

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

  An American in London: Whistler and the Thames (May 3 to August 17, 2014)

  Whistler and the Thames (December 17, 2000 to June 17, 2001)

  Whistler & Japan (May 14, 1995 to January 1, 1996)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  P. & D. Colnaghi (established 1760) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Drawing

• 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

  P. & D. Colnaghi, Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Bridges, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Night, Moon, American Art, Outer space, Store front

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Drawings