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The Sisters

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artwork Details

The Sisters
1894-1895
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
transfer lithograph, with scraping on antique cream laid paper
8 3/8 in. x 11 1/2 in. ( 21.27 cm x 29.21 cm )
Museum Purchase in honor of Nesta R. Spink, made possible by the Oakriver Foundation
2011/1.75

Description

Subject Matter:

Executed a few months before the Whistlers received the diagnosis of Beatrix's cancer, this work was probaby drawn in the Whistler's home in Paris at 110, rue du Bac. Beatrix, reclining in the armchair exhibits the fatigue that characterized her illness.
Thomas R. Way printed an edition of about 50 impressions; about half of those were signed by the artist. Rosalind Birnie Philip had the stone erased and there were no posthumous impressions taken.

Physical Description:

Two women dressed in dark clothing sit in an interior setting. The nearer woman leans far back in an armchair, head resting on her left hand, legs crossed. The other woman is sitting more upright at the center of the composition. The women look at one another in an attitude of quiet conversation. To the left of the composition is a round table.

Usage Rights:

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