Maunder's Fish Shop, Chelsea
Medium
Transfer lithograph with scraping; second state of two (Chicago); printed in black ink on smooth ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 7 1/16 × 6 3/4 in. (18 × 17.2 cm) Sheet: 10 7/8 x 8 11/16 in. (27.6 x 22.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Paul F. Walter, 1984
Accession Number
1984.1119.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Maunder’s Fish Shop, Chelsea* captures a quiet moment on a London street in 1890. The American-born artist, then living in the Chelsea neighborhood, often turned his attention to everyday urban scenes, transforming ordinary shops and passersby into elegant compositions. Here, the modest fish shop and surrounding buildings are rendered with delicate lines and subtle tonal contrasts, reflecting Whistler’s lifelong interest in atmosphere and suggestion over strict realism. Created as a transfer lithograph with scraping, the print showcases Whistler’s innovative approach...
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...