La Belle Dame Paresseuse / James McNeill Whistler

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1954/1.449
Title
La Belle Dame Paresseuse
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
1834-1903
Object Creation Date
1894
Object Creation Place
North and Central America (continent)
United States (nation)
Creation Place 2
United States (nation)
Inscription
Signed on the stone, c.r.: Butterfly monogram Signed, in pencil, l.l.: Butterfly monogram Watermark: Crown / G R Notation, in pencil, verso: (F.)
Dimensions
31.3 cm x 20.2 cm (12 5/16 in. x 7 15/16 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Print
Physical Description
A seated female faces towards the viewer. She is leaning back in her chair, her chin resting on her left arm; she holds papers in her right hand that are in her lap.
Subject Matter
When Whistler married Beatrice Godwin, née Philip, in 1888 he became part of a close family circle that included his wife (who called herself Beatrix), her sisters and her mother. In 1894 Beatrix was diagnosed with cancer; Whistler was devastated. Many of the lithographs he drew of her seem to belie the reality of the situation. "The Beautiful Lazy Lady" is not an image of indolence but of illness. Whistler's portraits of Beatrix are touching and intimate, although their titles may indicate that he had trouble facing the reality of the diagnosis.
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
943 x 1443
File Size
171 KB
Record
1954/1.449
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.449/1954_1.449.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.449:1954_1.449.JPG

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Full citation
"La Belle Dame Paresseuse; James McNeill Whistler." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.449/1954_1.449.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 19, 2024.
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