James McNeill Whistler

The Little Nude Model, Reading

Date 1889-90
Materials Lithograph - Black ink on laid paper
Dimensions 32.9 cm x 23.3 cm
Marks Signed in stone with a butterfly in the centre; watermark: “WHATMAN”.
Further information GLAHA 49560.
Harriet Stratis and Martha Tedeschi (eds), The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, Volume 1: A Catalogue Raisonne, Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, 1998 (33).

Note Whistler frequently drew young female nudes, who symbolised for him beauty and grace. They were rarely given individual character or personality. Their faces were left indistinct and they were often shown self-absorbed, as if unaware that they were being watched. Here the model is reading and her face is in shadow. She is shown casually perched on the edge of a chest of drawers beside a pile of clothes, probably her own, and a basin. To the left is a fireplace. There is little eroticism about this image, which has an innocent, playful air, enhanced by the imp-like cap the girl wears. The details suggest a domestic interior, although it was probably drawn in Whistler’s studio. The lithograph with its subtle shading gives an effect that is soft like a pencil drawing. Notice that Whistler has signed the work with his butterfly signature in a way that balances the items on the chest of drawers and adds to the decorativeness of the image.

Related works GLAHA 49046, 49275.