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

Home  > Catalogue > People > William Heinemann (related works) > Catalogue entry

M.1258
Butterfly

Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1890
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number: 33.283
Medium: graphite pencil
Support: cream wove paper
Size: 7 1/2 x 5" (192 x 128 mm)
Signature: butterfly
Inscription: r.: 'WSB' (collector's mark of W. S. Brewster), and '7/16' upside down in an unknown hand; v.: '33.283' and 'oc 7' in unknown hands

Butterfly

Description

Butterfly, Art Institute of Chicago
Butterfly, Art Institute of Chicago

A butterfly based on Whistler's monogram 'JW', with the addition of a long, curved, barbed tail. It was designed for Whistler, James McNeill, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, London, 1890.

Last updated: 19th March 2021 by Margaret