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Portrait of Dr. William McNeill Whistler

A work made of oil on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

1871–73

Artist:

James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)

About this artwork

Born in Massachusetts, James McNeill Whistler lived all of his adult life in Europe, working in artistic centers such as Paris, London, and Venice. Whistler painted this portrait of his brother William in London, where both of them then lived; the artist had established a studio there in 1859. Having served as a medical officer for the Confederate Army, Dr. William McNeill Whistler moved to the city after the Civil War and was a respected physician. Whistler modeled his brother’s face with some degree of detail, yet also employed broad brushstrokes of thinly applied paint to merely suggest the sitter’s dress, which blends into a background of flat color.

Status

On View, Gallery 176

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Title

Portrait of Dr. William McNeill Whistler

Place

London (Place depicted)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1871–1873

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

43.7 × 34.8 cm (17 3/16 × 13 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mary T. Wentworth in memory of her husband, John

Reference Number

1977.235

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/111478/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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