Draped Figure at a Railing
date: label: Date
content: 1868-1870
name: label: Artist
content: James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
notes: label: Label
content: Drawing from a live model, Whistler here explored the drape of filmy gauze on a figure set against a rail. The composition was one of his favorites and reappears in subsequent drawings, paintings, and prints. While the draperies and hip-sprung stance recall ancient classicism, the gesture of the hand held to the face is reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints of courtesans laughing behind their kimono sleeves.
label: Provenance
content: James Staats Forbes (1823-1904), London [1]
label: Provenance
content: To 1905
label: Provenance
content: William Marchant & Co., London, to 1905 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1905 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from William Marchant & Co. in 1905 [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record states: "From the Forbes collection.
label: Provenance
content: See Journal Voucher No. 1, December 1905."
label: Provenance
content: [2] See Original Whistler List, Drawings, pg. 3, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See note 2.
label: Provenance
content: [4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: The Lost Symphony: Whistler & the Perfection of Art (January 16 to May 30, 2016)
label: Exhibition History
content: Whistler's Nudes (April 21, 2002 to January 5, 2003)
label: Exhibition History
content: Whistler & Japan (May 14, 1995 to January 1, 1996)
label: Exhibition History
content: James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art: Whistler as Artist (May 11, 1984 to December 5, 1984)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Works of Whistler (September 22, 1947 to April 11, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Whistler Pastels and Drawings, Re-arranged and some additions (January 7, 1924 to January 20, 1944)
label: Exhibition History
content: American Paintings, Pastels, and Water Colors, and Drawings. J.A.McN. Whistler (May 2, 1923 to January 7, 1924)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: James Staats Forbes (1823-1904)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: William Marchant & Co. (flourished 1907-1925) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: United States
topic: label: Topic
content: woman
label: Topic
content: United States
label: Topic
content: American Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1905.130a-b
objectType: label: Type
content: Drawing
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Drawing; black and white crayon on brown paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (a - drawing): 27.8 × 18.1 cm (10 15/16 × 7 1/8 in)