The image shows a street scene with various buildings and urban activities. The viewpoint is slightly elevated, and many buildings and people are visible. The horizon is obscured by tall buildings in the background. The style is loose and sketchy, with fine lines indicating figures, buildings, and movement. The color palette is monochromatic, using sepia or pencil gray tones on an off-white background. Near the viewer, a person and a horse-drawn carriage are depicted. Further away, more figures and another carriage are shown, adding to the urban scene. The distant buildings are outlined with simple linear details.
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The image shows a street scene with various buildings and urban activities. The viewpoint is slightly elevated, and many buildings and people are visible. The horizon is obscured by tall buildings in the background. The style is loose and sketchy, with fine lines indicating figures, buildings, and movement. The color palette is monochromatic, using sepia or pencil gray tones on an off-white background. Near the viewer, a person and a horse-drawn carriage are depicted. Further away, more figures and another carriage are shown, adding to the urban scene. The distant buildings are outlined with simple linear details.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Alderney Street

James McNeill Whistler

Date
c. 1880/1881
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
overall (trimmed to plate): 17.9 × 11.1 cm (7 1/16 × 4 3/8 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1949.5.263
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1876 to 1900
Department
CG-W

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • Street
  • Cityscape
  • City
  • animal
  • Building
Provenance

Howard Mansfield (Lugt 1342), New York; Harris G. Whittemore, CT, acquired 1919; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia; gift to NGA, 1949.

Inscription

on plate: (butterfly); on tab: (butterfly) imp; lower right on the verso: st (the st superscript) and 28

Watermarks

none

NGA object ID 36717. 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.