La Belle Jardinière - James McNeill Whistler

Bequest of Bryan Lathrop

"La Belle Jardinière" by James McNeill Whistler (1894) Transfer lithograph in black, with stumping and scraping, on cream laid paper, laid down on a heavy backing sheet.

Commentary

"La Belle Jardinière" by James McNeill Whistler (1894) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notic e include transfer lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. James McNeill Whistler is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: James McNeill Whistler American, 1834-1903. The work is cataloged within a United States cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as transfer lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Transfer lithograph in black, with stumping and scraping, on cream laid paper, laid down on a heavy backing sheet) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 22.3 × 15.8 cm (8 13/16 × 6 1/4 in.); Sheet: 31.4 × 20 cm (12 3/8 × 7 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include transfer lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/73398

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data