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

 

Portrait of George Vanderbilt

Composition


                    Portrait of George Vanderbilt, The Hunterian
Portrait of George Vanderbilt, The Hunterian

                    Portrait of George W. Vanderbilt, National Gallery of Art, DC
Portrait of George W. Vanderbilt, National Gallery of Art, DC

This is probably a study for (rather than a drawing of) Portrait of George W. Vanderbilt [YMSM 481]. The legs are further apart and the left leg not so far forward as in the oil.

Technique

The drawing is faint, the lines, disjointed, and the head has been partly rubbed out. However, the area below has been filled with careful diagonal shading.

Conservation History

The sketch is on cartridge paper, which has a neat diagonal grain, and has probably darkened. It may have been removed from a sketchbook.

Last updated: 9th December 2020 by Margaret