Little Arthur, One of the ‘Twelve Etchings from Nature,’ or the ‘French Set’
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Description
Little Arthur, from the French Set, or Twelve Etchings from Nature
1858
Etching on Japan paper
Third state of five (Kennedy 9)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.317
In this portrait of Arthur Haden at about the age of four, Whistler employs bold chiarascuro effects, rendering the face with bright contrasts of light and shadow that convey the fidgeting energy of a young child.
Subject Matter:
Arthur Charles Haden (1852-1910) was the third of four children born to Whistler's half-sister Deborah and her husband Francis Seymiour Haden; he would have been about six years old when Whistler drew this plate.
Physical Description:
A young child sits facing the viewer. He has shoulder length hair, a white collar and dark suit, the pants of which come to just below his knees. His feet are together and his hands rest in his lap beween his knees. The image is strongly lit from the left by an unseen light source.
Usage Rights:
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