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

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Sketch of a Man in Evening Dress

The date and authorship of this Sketch of a Man in Evening Dress are difficult to establish. It has been suggested that it dated from the mid-1880s. 1


                Sketch of a Man in Evening Dress, Ashmolean Museum
Sketch of a Man in Evening Dress, Ashmolean Museum

The composition is simple and could possibly, giving it the benefit of the doubt, be called 'Whistlerian', and have been influenced by his work. It is not finished, and it is not very like Whistler's work in colour or technique. The provenance of the painting before 1945 is unknown, so it may date from after Whistler's death.

Notes:

1: 'Probably painted in the mid 1880s' according to YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 316).

Last updated: 16th October 2020 by Margaret