La Vieille aux Loques
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Description
La Vieille aux Loques, from the French Set, or Twelve Etchings from Nature
1858
Etching on Japan paper
Second state of three (Kennedy 21)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.327
When Whistler returned from Alsace and Cologne, he also returned to etched views of humble work and everyday life. La Vieille aux Loques, which was drawn directly on the plate from life, depicts a rag picker seated just inside her door, silhouetted against a dark interior.
Subject Matter:
The images of Whistler's French Set reflect the artistic trends current in Paris when Whistler was a student there. "La Vieille aux Loques", with its concern for working class figures, demonstrates Whistler's early orientation towards the work of Courbet. Throughout his career, Whistler mantained an interest in depicting working class and humble subjects; however, the beauty of his depictions elevated such works beyond the gritty realism of early works such as this etching.
Physical Description:
An old woman in a white cap sits in a cluttered interior. Positioned just inside the doorway, the woman is surrounded by piles of cloth with domestic objects on shelves and walls that gleam in the darkness.
Usage Rights:
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