James Abbott McNeill Whistler The “Adam and Eve”, Old Chelsea London, 1879 Etching on fine Japanese paper 17.6 x 30.4 cm Whistler’s depiction of life on the Thames in Chelsea is retrospective. This work shows an old riverside inn, The Adam and Eve, next to rows of dilapidated buildings which were demolished during the early … Read more
James Abbott McNeill Whistler La vieille aux loques (The Old Rag-Picker) London, 1858 Etching 20.6 x 14.6 cm An old woman sits in a doorway absorbed in sorting rags. Although the rag picker is shown as poor and frail, her focus and disengagement from the viewer creates a calm and contemplative image. The framing device … Read more
James Abbott McNeill Whistler The Lime Burner London, 1859, published 1871 Etching with drypoint Plate: 25 x 18 cm; mount: 55.6 x 40.5 cm This is one of Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames which Whistler completed by 1861. They resulted from a campaign of drawing along the river in which the artist sought … Read more
From bustling alleys and intricate architectural detail, to sweeping panoramas of grand public celebrations and towering monuments, this display of prints and drawings captures the vibrancy and expansion of European cities from the 17th to the 19th century. Curated to mark the recent acquisition of two views of Paris after Thomas Girtin (right), it includes … Read more
Early Acquisitions of Prints for the Barber Collection The Barber Institute’s collection of works on paper is famed for its exemplary quality, due in no small part to the acquisitions of its first Director, Professor Thomas Bodkin. This display focuses on the prints purchased for the collection in 1939, the year the Barber Institute opened, … Read more