Home > Catalogue > Essays > The Catalogue
USING THE WEBSITE
Margaret F. MacDonald
Overview ^
The catalogue raisonné of paintings by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) comprises some 550 works in oil or mixed media. The accompanying summary catalogue of watercolours, pastels and drawings, includes over 1700 works.
This is a 'Beta' (preliminary) launch of the catalogue raisonné, which will enable free access to our research to date. We will extend and update catalogue entries as required. We welcome your comments.
The Whistler Paintings Website ^
The website incorporates two main sections:
- A catalogue raisonné of Whistler’s paintings.
- A catalogue of works on paper (watercolours, pastels and drawings).
The catalogue raisonné is a comprehensive, fully illustrated and annotated listing of all the known oil paintings and works in mixed media by the artist James McNeill Whistler. It is attached to and complemented by a summary catalogue of works on paper, which is a fully illustrated list of all known works by Whistler in watercolour, pencil, pastel, chalk and other drawing materials.
THE CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ OF PAINTINGS ^
The catalogue raisonné is the culmination of over a century of research and writings on Whistler's work by writers, artists, academics, collectors and enthusiastic Whistlerians.
Its immediate precursor is a 1980 publication: Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980. This new catalogue follows the same catalogue numbers, with 'a' or 'b' added to distinguish additional works.
Since 1980 many works have been located, identified, or changed hands, and vast progress has been made in every aspect of research. The online publication of many sources and resources makes this a timely moment to publish Whistler's complete oeuvre online. It is hoped that this will lead to further research and appreciation of Whistler's work in the context of 19th-20th century art.
THE CATALOGUE OF WATERCOLOURS, PASTELS AND DRAWINGS
A summary catalogue of works on paper (watercolours, pastels and drawings), fully illustrated, gives the date, collection, medium, support and size, lifetime exhibitions, updated provenance, and a summary bibliography for each work of art. This catalogue is still (2018) being developed.
This is based on the comparatively recent catalogue: Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours, a catalogue raisonné, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1995. It is intended as an addendum to that catalogue, not a replacement. It follows the same catalogue numbers, with 'a' or 'b' added to distinguish additional works. It has been checked, corrected and updated as necessary. Works added to the catalogue have been illustrated and catalogued as fully as possible.
USING THE CATALOGUES
The HEADING includes the catalogue number, artist, title, date year or years, collection and accession number, medium, support and size, signature and inscription, and details of the frame where known, plus a photograph of the work itself, wherever possible, or a reproduction of it in some form.
TABS, below the heading, provide key data, as follows:
1: DATE.
The year or years in which the work was created is given in each catalogue entry, after the catalogue number, artist’s name and the title of the work. Further information and discussion of dating is given in the catalogue entry by clicking on the 'Date' tab. Dates are indicated as follows:
- 1870: the painting is believed to date from that year.
- 1870/1873: the painting was made at some time between these years.
- 1870-1879: the painting was worked on at intervals, but not necessarily continuously, between these dates.
- 1870, 1890: the painting was definitely worked on at these two dates.
In addition, clicking on the Date column (in the 'Browse' section of the navigation menu) shows the images of all the works arranged in roughly chronological order.
2: IMAGES.
Images include colour and black and white photographs, archival reproductions and photographs, and related works such as drawings or cartoons, sites, sitters, and paintings by other artists copied by Whistler. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger scale image. Most images are zoomable: use the cursor to select areas in the thumbnail to see larger details. Metadata includes the Credit Line, Copyright holder, and Source of the image.
3: SUBJECT.
This includes sections for Title, Description, Sitter, Site, Comments. A selection of titles, with the date and source of information, is given, as well as the preferred title. Titles given by Whistler or published in his lifetime are given preference.
4: TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION.
The technical description includes Composition (sources, influences, drawings and related paintings), Technique, Conservation History, and Frame.
5: HISTORY.
This includes Provenance and Exhibitions. The history of ownership of a work is given in the form of a dated list.
; An unbroken record of ownership is shown by separating owners by a semi-colon.
. Gaps in ownership of more than a year (or where the record is uncertain), are indicated by a full stop.
This list is followed by a fuller, annotated, historical account, including any questions of dating and ownership. Exhibitions are listed in chronological order, and correspondence and reviews relating to exhibited works help to tell the story of Whistler's relationship with owners, art dealers, the art market and the media.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
This includes Catalogues Raisonnés; works authored by Whistler; Catalogues dating from 1855-1905 (including Collection, Exhibition and Sale catalogues); Journals and Newspapers dating from 1855-1905; Monographs; Books on Whistler; Books, general; Catalogues dating from 1906 to the present day (including Collection, Exhibition and Sale catalogues); Journals and Newspapers dating from 1906 to the present; Websites; Unpublished, and other works.
Books are arranged in alphabetical order. All other sections are arranged chronologically.
All the links to websites are active at this time (2018) unless otherwise stated.
BROWSE AND SEARCH
The following options are available for searching the catalogue:
1: 'Browse the catalogue' links to several options:
Display: select 'Paintings', 'Works on Paper' or 'All'.
Medium: click on the drop-down list and select 'All types', 'oil', etc.
Search: find individual or multiple words and phrases.
Database: click at the top of columns to arrange works in order of Catalogue Number, Title, Date, or Collection. A thumbnail image of the work, if available, is in the left-hand column.Where no image of the work has been located, the words 'No Image Available' appears in the thumbnail box.
2: Names:
An alphabetical list of people, with links to Biographies and Paintings. Filter to see 'all', 'owners' or 'sitters'.
3: Exhibitions:
A list of exhibitions arranged in alphabetical order of city and date. Click on an exhibition to find associated paintings
4: Essays: read essays and information related to the catalogue. The current document 'The Catalogue (Using the Website)', is followed by:
Research Methods.
Bankruptcy.
Picture Frames.
Further essays and updates on the catalogue will be forthcoming: watch this space!
Last updated: 1st August 2018 by Margaret
