Head of a Cleric
Whistler made his first etching while employed as a draftsman at the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in Washington, D.C., between 1854 and 1855. A staff member taught him the technique and supplied him with a copper plate, on which he etched topographic renderings of coastlines, then sketched freely drawn figures, and an oval vignette representing "Mrs. Partington and Ike"—characters from a Mark Twain story. The hooded hidalgo, or minor Spanish nobleman, at upper right is likely a self-portrait that hints at the artist’s bubbling ambition. Within a few months, he would be in Paris, pursing an artistic career.
Artwork Details
- Title: Head of a Cleric
- Artist: Benigno Bossi (Italian, 1727–1792)
- Date: 1775
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: Sheet: 4 11/16 × 3 3/8 in. (11.9 × 8.6 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 47.100.501
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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