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The image depicts figures near a structure with poles, potentially on a ship deck. The drawing uses minimalistic and loose lines to outline the forms of a group of figures leaning towards a railing or edge. The structure may be a building or part of a ship. The lines are sparse, focusing on movement and form rather than detail, creating a sense of simplicity and fluidity in the scene.
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The image depicts figures near a structure with poles, potentially on a ship deck. The drawing uses minimalistic and loose lines to outline the forms of a group of figures leaning towards a railing or edge. The structure may be a building or part of a ship. The lines are sparse, focusing on movement and form rather than detail, creating a sense of simplicity and fluidity in the scene.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

At Sea

James McNeill Whistler

Date
probably 1901
Medium
pen and brown ink on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 15.2 × 9.6 cm (6 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1943.3.8818
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1901 to 1925
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • Ship
  • Realist
  • travel
  • genre
  • Mediterranean
Provenance

Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to National Gallery of Art, 1943.

Inscription

center right in brown ink: butterfly signature; later hand across bottom verso in graphite: "at Sea" / MS.981. From Canfield Coll. / 500.; upper center verso: 40

Marks

lower left verso in black ink: LRJ stamp; lower right verso in black ink: NGA/LRJ stamp

Watermarks

C.S.S.A (partial)

NGA object ID 11317. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.