Deux Artistes Célèbres de Paris

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Label

  Whistler and Delannoy paid for some of their travel expenses by making portraits along the road. Lack of funds was a difficulty, but Whistler later told his sister Deborah Haden that they had encountered some "sunnier moments." He described how they "came upon a fair--how I there made a portrait of 'butchers, bakers, candlestickmakers!' for five groschen apiece--that is a little more than four-pence!!!" In this drawing, Whistler depicts the amusing side of his predicament. A huckster rings a bell while bawling out the bargain rate at which the two young artists were willing to make their sketches.

• Provenance

  Seymour Haden (1818-1910), London [1]

  To 1898

  H. Wunderlich & Co., New York to 1898 [2]

  From 1898 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from H. Wunderlich & Co., through Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), in November 1898 [3]

  From 1920

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Whistler List, Haden Collection Drawings, pg. 1, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See Voucher No. 20, November 1898, 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

  James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and Modern Life (May 11, 1984 to December 16, 1984)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910)

  H. Wunderlich & Co. (1874-1912) (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)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1850s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Haden, Seymour, H. Wunderlich & Co.

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, American Art, Men

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Drawings