The Little Balcony
Medium
Transfer lithograph in black on cream laid Japanese vellum
Dimensions
Image: 20.1 × 15.7 cm (7 15/16 × 6 3/16 in.); Sheet: 33.1 × 24.1 cm (13 1/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
transfer lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73753
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *The Little Balcony* (1894) captures the artist’s mastery of subtlety and atmosphere in printmaking. Created as a transfer lithograph in black ink on cream laid Japanese vellum this intimate work measures just 20.1 × 15.7 cm for the image, inviting close contemplation. Whistler, the celebrated American expatriate painter known for his “art for art’s sake philosophy and tonal harmonies (as in his famous *Nocturne* series), extended his aesthetic to prints late in his career, producing evocative scenes that prioritize mood over narrative. This piece exemplifies Whistler...
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...