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

 

M.1379
Sketch of 'Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl'

Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1893
Collection: Private Collection
Accession Number: none
Medium: pen and black ink
Support: white paper, printed heading '[108] WIGMORE STREET, MANCHESTER SQUARE, LONDON, W'
Size: 3 3/4 x 2 3/8" (96 x 60 mm)
Signature: butterfly
Inscription: letter

Sketch of 'Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl'

Composition

Sketch of 'Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl', Private Collection
Sketch of 'Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl', Private Collection
Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl, Freer Gallery of Art
Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl, Freer Gallery of Art

This is a drawing after Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Little Blue Girl [YMSM 421] which Whistler worked on from 1894 on. It might have been done to show someone the composition rather than as a study for it, or it may represent a stage in the developement in the painting. It differs from the painting in omitting a vase of flowers in front and a screen behind the sofa, and the model looks less angular.

Conservation History

It was drawn on what appears to be wove paper, now laid down, and slightly browned.

Last updated: 16th February 2021 by Margaret