The Girl
probably 1891, printed posthumously
Medium
Transfer lithograph in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 22.2 × 11.6 cm (8 3/4 × 4 5/8 in.); Sheet: 26.8 × 20.8 cm (10 9/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
Classification
transfer lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
139469
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *The Girl*, a transfer lithograph from around 1891 and printed posthumously, captures the artist’s mastery of subtle tonal effects in printmaking. Created on cream laid paper, this work measures just 22.2 × 11.6 cm for the image, inviting viewers into a delicate portrait likely evoking everyday grace. Whistler, the American-born expatriate famed for his Aesthetic movement ideals—“art for art’s sake”—pioneered transfer lithography, drawing directly on paper that was then chemically transferred to a lithographic stone. This technique allowed painterly freedom, blending s...
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...