James McNeill Whistler

Designs for wall decorations for Aubrey House

Date c.1873-1874
Materials Charcoal and gouache on paper
Dimensions 18.2 cm x 12.6 cm
Marks Signed with a butterfly in the centre left; inscribed in charcoal by Whistler at the lower right: "Dining Room Aubrey House"
Further information GLAHA 46050.
Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1995 (489).

Note William Alexander bought Aubrey House in London in 1873. Although, Whistler’s decorative designs with their simple bands of colour look abstract, they can be seen as simplified views of nature. The horizontal lines of yellow and blue paint represent beach scenes with breakers. Spots of colour give the impression of sand and of ripples at the water’s edge. Whistler’s approach to interior decoration was far more simplified than that of the average Victorian. Victorian interiors tended to be elaborate and ornate, with highly patterned (usually floral) wallpaper, carpets, curtains and fabrics. The interiors Whistler designed, with the exception of the Peacock Room, were simple and uncluttered, inspired by oriental examples. The colour schemes were usually subtle and restful to the eye. Unfortunately, Whistler's interior schemes at Aubrey House were destroyed in 1913.

Related works GLAHA 46051, 46052, 46053, 46071.