Date
The Light at the Door dates from between 1849 and 1851, and was given to Louise Chandler Moulton (1835-1908) in Pomfret, CT.
The drawing was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 74).
Images

The Light at the Door, Whereabouts unknown
Subject
Description
A bent robed figure, possibly a woman, stands at left, beside the pillar of a massive arch.
Site
The inscription might suggest that it was a drawing of the Doge's palace in Venice, or a similar subject, but it may have been completely unrelated to the drawing. 1
Comments
The drawing was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 74), where it was suggested that it might have been a copy of The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910). Judging by the inscription, this is incorrect.
Technique
Technique
It appears to have been a rough sketch, possibly unfinished or cut from a larger composition. It has not been seen by the authors of this catalogue.
History
Provenance
-
1849/1851: given to Louise Chandler Moulton (1835-1908), Pomfret, CT;
-
1905/1908: owned by her until at least 1905 and probably until her death in 1908.
-
1995: with Skinner, auctioneers, Boston and Bolton, MA, October 1995.
It was photographed by the Pennells when in Moulton's possession in 1905, but the photograph has not been located. 2
Exhibitions
-
1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 169) as 'Sketch'.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 74) as 'The Light at the Door'.
Catalogues 1855-1905
-
Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 169) as 'Sketch'.
Books on Whistler
- Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler, 2 vols, London and Philadelphia, 1908, vol. 1, pp. 27-28 as 'The Light at the Doot'.
Journals 1906-Present
- Pressly, Nancy D., 'Whistler in America: An Album of Early Drawings', Metropolitan Museum Journal, New York, vol. 5, 1972, pp. 125-54, at p. 151 (no, 42) as 'Light at the Door'.
Websites