La Mère Gérard

1858

Not on view

La Mère Gérard is said to have sold flowers outside the Bal Bullier in Paris, but Whistler shows her holding a shawl or piece of cloth in an unidealized portrayal that demonstrates admiration for the realism espoused by Courbet. The artist made the etching in Paris in the summer or fall of 1858 and included it in his first published set, "Douze eau-fortes d'apres Nature" ("Twelve Etchings from Nature"), known as the "French Set."

Artwork Details

Title: La Mère Gérard
Series/Portfolio: French Set ("Douze eau-fortes d'apres Nature" 1858)
Artist: James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London)
Date: 1858
Medium: Etching, printed in black ink on antique cream laid paper; fourth state of four (Glasgow)
Dimensions: plate: 5 x 3 1/2 in. (12.7 x 8.9 cm)
sheet: 9 3/4 x 7 5/8 in. (24.8 x 19.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of William Loring Andrews, 1883, transferred from the Library
Object Number: 83.1.35
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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