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
- James McNeill Whistler
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- 1834-1903
- Medium and Support
- transfer lithograph on laid paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1894
- Object Creation Place
- North and Central America (continent)
- United States (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- North and Central America (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- United States (nation)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- 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
- 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.
- Secondary Keywords
- man
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people and occupations
- people by gender
- physical activities
- physical activities by general context
- visual works
- visual works by subject type
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- 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
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.449:1954_1.449.JPG
Cite this Item
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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 June 14, 2024.