St. James's Street
James McNeill Whistler American
Not on view
Whistler's busy urban image focuses on a central London thoroughfare that connects Pall Mall and Piccadilly. The etching offers a view from the terrace of what was then the Albermarle Hotel on Piccadilly downhill towards St. James's Palace, a complex of Tudor buildings that gave the street and surrounding district their names. In the foreground a policeman stands, perhaps directing traffic, near awnings that shield shopfronts. The image reverses the orientation of the actual view and would be reissued as a lithograph—correctly oriented—in "Vanity Fair" on July 2, 1878 (see: 1985.1161.34). Today the street is home to several private clubs, including White's, Boodle's and Brooks's.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.