The Mouth of the River F1902.171a-b: Curatorial Analysis | Whistler in Watercolor

Maker nationality and date: 1834-1903

Date(s): 1881-1883

Medium: Watercolor on paper

Dimension(s): H x W: 17.7 x 25.2 cm (6 15/16 x 9 15/16 in)

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Object Number: F1902.171a-b

Production location: England, Southend-on-Sea

Theme: Riverview

Signature(s): Unsigned.

Provenance: To 1902
Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934), London, to 1902 [1]

From 1902 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Henry Studdy Theobald in 1902 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Whistler List, Purchases from Thoebald, pg. 8, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Voucher No. 1, August 1902, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] 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.

Exhibition History: Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell, "Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes", May 1884
Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell, "Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes", May 1886
Freer Gallery of Art, American Paintings, Pastels, and Water Colors, and Drawings. J.A.McN. Whistler, May 2, 1923 to January 7, 1924

Selected Curatorial Remarks: 1. Glazer, Jacobson, McCarthy, Roeder, wall label, 2019:
While traditional landscapes held little interest for Whistler, he claimed, "The sea to me, is, and always was, most fascinating!" Rendered with simplicity, his seascapes of Southend, a popular seaside destination south of London, rely on broad washes of color with sparse detail. Whistler was a master at creating a mixture of pigments that produced a tonally balanced palette. His seascapes were often organized in a three-part composition of sky, sea, and shore.
2. Katherine Roeder, 2018:
This early watercolor was painted after Whistler's purchase of art supplies from Roberson & Co. in the fall of 1881.

Selected Published References: 1. Curry: James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art, Pg. 180
Various types of river traffic are contrasted in this small watercolor. The subject–ships traveling up the river–is reinforced through compositional means. Whistler narrowed the river mouth into a thin wedge moving to the left. Clouds of steam from several boats trail off in a complementary diagonal. The composition is centered and stabilized by a bright red sail, furled into a thin vertical line.

Catalogue Raisonne number: M590
MacDonald Catalogue number

Previous owner(s): Henry Studdy Theobald (C.L. Freer source) (1847-1934)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

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The Mouth of the River

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