Nocturne in Blue and Gold: Valparaiso

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Capt. Henry Hill (1818-1882)

  Alexander Ionides (1840-1898)

  Sir John Charles Day (1826-1908)

  George McCulloch (1848-1907)

  Mrs. George McCulloch

  Wallis and Son, The French Gallery (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Provenance

  Capt. Henry Hill (1818-1882), Brighton, England, purchased from the artist [1]

  From 1889

  Alexander Ionides (1840-1898), London, purchased at auction, Christie's, May 25, 1889, no. 80, "Nocturne in Blue and Silver Valparaiso" [2]

  From 1892

  Sir John Charles Day, purchased in May 1892 [3]

  From between 1895-1897

  George McCulloch (1848-1907), British, purchased between 1895-1897 [4]

  From 1907

  Mrs. George McCulloch, by bequest from her husband, George McCulloch, in 1907 [5]

  To 1909

  Wallis and Son, The French Gallery, London, to 1909 [6]

  From 1909 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Wallis and Son, The French Gallery, through D. Croal Thomson, in 1909 [7]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [8]

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Remark 3, S. Hobbs, 1977, in the object record, this painting was purchased from Whistler by Captain Henry Hill of Brighton. Upon Hill's death, it was sold at auction at Christie's, May 25, 1889, as no. 80, "Nocturne in Blue and Silver Valparaiso," to Alexander Ionides. It was then sold in May of 1892 to Sir John Day, and subsequently bought by George McCulloch, sometime between 1895 and 1897. It was bequeathed to McCulloch's widow on December 12, 1907. In July 1909, Charles Lang Freer purchased the painting from Wallis and Son, London, through D. Croal Thomson.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See note 1.

  [5] See note 1.

  [6] See List of Whistler Purchases since Making up the Smithsonian Inventory, pg. 12, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [7] See note 6.

  [8] 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.

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• On View

  Freer Gallery 11: A Perfect Harmony

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1860s, 1870s

• Name

  Hill, Henry, Whistler, James McNeill, Freer, Charles Lang, McCulloch, George, Day, John Charles, Ionides, Alexander, Wallis and Son, The French Gallery

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Art, Night, American Art

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings

• On View

  Yes