Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

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The White House

Composition

The White House, Freer Gallery of Art
The White House, Freer Gallery of Art

The pencil outlines, to the right of the breakwater by the sea and to the right of the white house itself, show that Whistler first drew the whole scene further to the right.

Technique

It was painted over a pencil sketch, with thin paint of a creamy consistency, in fluid brushstrokes. The fine detail of the ships and cottages was painted precisely with a fine-pointed sable brush.

Conservation History

Freer Gallery records show that the varnish was removed in 1921, and spots in the sky arising from earlier damage, possibly when the picture was painted, were touched up with paint. In 1937, it was cleaned and varnished, and in the following year, resurfaced and cradled. It was again resurfaced in 1952-1953.

Frame

The White House, Freer Gallery of Art
The White House, Freer Gallery of Art

Replica Dowdeswell frame, made in American, 2004. 1

Notes:

1: Dr S. L. Parkerson Day, Report on frames, 2017; see also Parkerson 2007 [more].

Last updated: 24th October 2020 by Margaret