Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

 

M.0693
r.: Maud Franklin; v.: Study of Maud Franklin

Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1878
Collection: The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Accession Number: GLAHA 46078
Medium: chalk
Support: brown wove paper
Size: 12 7/16 x 7 5/8' (316 x 194 mm)
Signature: butterfly
Inscription: 'Je trouve cela très ressemblante / Sarah Bernhardt' written by Sarah Bernhardt in ink on the glass

r.: Maud Franklin; v.: Study of Maud Franklin

Composition

r.: Maud Franklin, The Hunterian
r.: Maud Franklin, The Hunterian
v.: Study of Maud Franklin, The Hunterian
v.: Study of Maud Franklin, The Hunterian

Maud Franklin appears in similar poses in two lithographs, Study c004 Study: Maud Seated c005, dating from 1878.

The figure on the verso is the opposite way up to that on the recto, and a large pinhole is visible above it.

Technique

Short diagonal lines build up the shape of the figure. The highlights are rather bright and out of keeping. The chalk lines were softened by the disturbed fibres of the paper, which has small pieces of wood-stalk in it, and has a vertical grain.

Last updated: 7th December 2020 by Margaret