Afternoon Tea
Medium
Transfer lithograph with stumping; only state (Chicago); printed in black ink on tan laid Japnese vellum
Dimensions
Image: 7 3/8 × 6 1/4 in. (18.7 × 15.8 cm) Sheet: 15 11/16 × 9 1/2 in. (39.8 × 24.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.255
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Afternoon Tea* (1897) captures a quiet moment of social ritual with characteristic subtlety and elegance. Created late in the artist’s career, the print reflects Whistler’s lifelong fascination with everyday scenes rendered through refined tonal effects rather than narrative detail. The composition shows men and women gathered around a tea table, evoking the intimate domestic customs of the late Victorian era while emphasizing atmosphere over anecdote. Executed as a transfer lithograph with stumping on tan Japanese vellum, the work highlights Whistler’s mastery of pr...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...