'Vive les Débardeurs!!' dates from 1853/1854 and was given to Thomas de Kay Winans (1820-1878) and family, who stuck it in an album.
'Vive les Débardeurs!!', Metropolitan Museum of Art
It is fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 133).
'Vive les Débardeurs!!', Metropolitan Museum of Art
'Vive les Débardeurs!!', Metropolitan Museum of Art
'Débardeurs' were French dockworkers or longshoremen. Whistler was inspired by the series Les Débardeurs by Paul Gavarni (1804-1866). See also Le Débardeur m0037.
The sketch was originally stuck into an album.
It was not, as far as is known, exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.