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The image displays an etching featuring an individual seen from the side, emphasizing the head, torso, and upper part of the legs. The person is seated with a slight leftward body turn, maintaining an upright posture. They have curly hair and a delicate facial profile with a prominent nose. The clothing is depicted with fine lines and shading, and they are holding a small, dark object on their lap. The background is simple, directing attention to the figure. The piece is signed by Whistler in the bottom right corner, along with the date 1859.
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The image displays an etching featuring an individual seen from the side, emphasizing the head, torso, and upper part of the legs. The person is seated with a slight leftward body turn, maintaining an upright posture. They have curly hair and a delicate facial profile with a prominent nose. The clothing is depicted with fine lines and shading, and they are holding a small, dark object on their lap. The background is simple, directing attention to the figure. The piece is signed by Whistler in the bottom right corner, along with the date 1859.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Bibi Lalouette

James McNeill Whistler

Date
1859
Medium
etching and drypoint in black on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 22.86 × 15.24 cm (9 × 6 in.) sheet: 27.31 × 19.84 cm (10 3/4 × 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
2015.19.405
Credit line
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Julius Garfinckel, 1938)
Time span
1851 to 1875
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • etching
  • drypoint
  • boy
  • portrait
  • Portrait
  • Boy
Provenance

(Frederick Keppel & Co., New York); Julius Garfinckel, Washington, DC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1938; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Inscription

lower right in plate: Whistler. 1859.; lower center in graphite by unknown hand: 11041; upper center verso in graphite by unknown hand: 1718; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: Bibi Lalouette / A76024 [crossed out] A98101; lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: FYX

Watermarks

[a partial shell]

NGA object ID 169624. 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.