Group of four men

National Museum of Asian Art

Object Details

Artist
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
Label
The younger man in the center of this composition seems to be holding forth while an older companion, in the cap and neckerchief of a laborer, gives him undivided attention. The figure with a cap is similar to men that appear in Whistler's Rhine river-boat drawings. Braggadocio and beer were significant components of student life. The Pennells reported that once Whistler returned to Paris with tales of his adventures, his artist friends saluted him at the Cafe Moliere with loud songs:
Car il n'est pas mort, larifla! fla! fla!
Non, c'est qu'il dort.
Pour le reveiler, trinquons nos verres!
Pour le reveiler, trinquons encore!
Provenance
Seymour Haden (1818-1910), London [1]
To 1898
H. Wunderlich & Co., New York to 1898 [2]
From 1898 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from H. Wunderlich & Co., through Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), in November 1898 [3]
From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]
Notes:
[1] See Original Whistler List, Haden Collection Drawings, pg. 2, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See Voucher No. 20, November 1898, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[3] See note 2.
[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Previous custodian or owner
Francis Seymour Haden (1818-1910)
H. Wunderlich & Co. (1874-1912) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
1858
Accession Number
F1898.196
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Drawing
Medium
Pencil on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
H x W: 9 x 11.2 cm (3 9/16 x 4 7/16 in)
Origin
United States
Related Online Resources
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Topic
man
United States
American Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Record ID
fsg_F1898.196
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye31050027b-6f17-4dd4-b81e-7628a899061d
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer