La Belle Dame Paresseuse / James McNeill Whistler

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About this Item

Record Details

Accession Number
1954/1.450
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, u.r.: Butterfly monogram Watermark: J H & Zoon etc., with device
Dimensions
25.2 cm x 19.4 cm (9 15/16 in. x 7 5/8 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Print
Primary Object Type
transfer lithograph
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.
Primary Keywords
seated
Secondary Keywords
figures
people and occupations
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
975 x 1285
File Size
142 KB
Record
1954/1.450
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.450/1954_1.450.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.450:1954_1.450.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-1.450/1954_1.450.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 19, 2024.
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