The Ocean Wave

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Description

  Clouds drifting close to the water; a beach indicated in the foreground; signed with the butterfly at lower right.

• Signatures

  Gray-brown butterfly in lower right corner

• Paper/Support

  On hot-pressed, wove paper mounted overall to a manufactured board with paper facings on both sides.

• Provenance

  To 1906

  Obach & Co., London, to 1906 [1]

  From 1906 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Obach & Co. in 1906 [2]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Whistler List, Paintings, pg. 20c, 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 in Watercolor (May 18 to November 3, 2019)

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

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

  Whistler Water Colors (January 7, 1924 to April 4, 1930)

• Previous custodian or owner

  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)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1880s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Obach & Co.

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Water, Art, Bone black, Zinc white, Mounting, Yellow ocher, Charles Lang Freer collection, Mars pigment, American Art, Raw sienna, Chrome yellow, Ocean, Prussian blue, Raw umber

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings