The Artist in His Studio
James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)1865–66
View the original$19
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
By the mid-1860s, the London-based, American artist James McNeill Whistler was increasingly fascinated with the aesthetics of Asian art. In The Artist in His Studio, Whistler stares out at the viewer with palette and paintbrush in hand, surrounded by works from his collection: three Japanese scrolls hang on the wall and Chinese porcelain adorns shelves on the left. He applied thin layers of paint in muted tones to evoke the flattened appearance of Japanese woodblock prints. The composition also recalls the work of the Spanish Baroque painter Diego Velázquez, who likewise included a self-portrait at his easel in Las Meninas (1656, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid). Whistler harmonized Western and Eastern artistic elements, placing himself at the center of such an enterprise.
- Medium
- Oil on paper mounted on panel
- Original size
- Board: 62 × 46.5 cm (24 7/16 × 18 5/16 in.)
Museum record · 2 owners · 5 exhibitions
Provenance
- James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), 1865/66.
- Dr. William McNeill Whistler (1836–1900), London, by 1886; consigned to Goupil Gallery, London, December 1896; sold to Douglas William Freshfield (1845–1934), London, by October 1897; with Brown & Phillips, London, 1911; sold to P. & D. Colnaghi and Obach, London, by August 1911; partial share sold to M. Knoedler & Co., New York, August 24, 1911; probably consigned to Henry Reinhardt Galleries, New York and Chicago, September 1911; sold to the Friends of American Art, Chicago, by December 1911; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1912.
Exhibitions
- Milwaukee Art Institute, Exhibition of Forty Paintings presented to the Art Institute of Chicago by the Friends of American Art, Mar. 1–29, 1925.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Summer Exhibitions, July 20–Oct. 29, 1939, cat 1.
- Milwaukee Art Institute, Nineteenth Century American Masters, Feb. 20–Mar. 28, 1948.
- Durand Art Institute, Lake Forest College, A Century of American Painting: Masterpieces Loaned by The Art Institute of Chicago, June 10–16, 1957, as The Artist in the Studio.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Whistler's Mother: An American Icon Returns to Chicago, Mar. 4–May 21, 2017, no, Royal Academy of Arts, The Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan and James McNeill Whistler, Feb. 23–May 23, 2022; Washingon, DC, National Gallery of Art, July 3–Oct. 10, 2022, cat. (ill.).
