The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

A Chelsea street dates from 1883/1886.

A Chelsea street, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

This work is catalogued fully in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 953).

Images

Subject

Site

A Chelsea street, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The title "A Chelsea street with a donkey on the right" was inscribed on a label on the verso by Harold Wright (1885-1961) of Colnaghi's, possibly with information from Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958); the 'Chelsea' was crossed out and amended to read, incorrectly, 'Paris', by an unidentified writer 'JBS'.

The shop represented was probably either the tobacconist, James Nicholas, at 34 Church Street in Chelsea, or another tobacconist and newsagent, James William Nicholas, who was at 88 Cheyne Walk in 1881 and had moved to 75 Cheyne Walk by 1893. The wine-merchants, George Nicholas and Son, were then at 3 Abchurch Lane, which was further from Whistler's usual haunts.

Technique

Technique

A Chelsea street, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 953).

History

Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958);
• 1943: sold to Colnaghi's, London art dealers;
• 1943: sold on 29 April to Mrs Winter;
• 1944: bought from T. G. Winter by Colnaghi's, 26 September;
• 1944: sold on 31 October to Dr Francis Carl Springell (Franz Sprinzels) (1898-1974);
• 1974: bequeathed to his wife Gertrude Bertha Springell née Lange (1908-1985);
• 1986: sold at auction, Springell sale, Sotheby's, London, 30 June 1986 (lot 90, repr.), and bought by a private collector;
• 1993: Paul Mellon Collection, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT.

See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 953).

Exhibitions

• 1884: possibly 'Notes' - 'Harmonies' - 'Nocturnes', Messrs Dowdeswell, London, 1884 (cat. no. 8) as 'The Little Grocery, Chelsea; grey and red'.
• 1904: possibly 78th Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 1904 (cat. no. 109).

See The Little Grocery, Chelsea; grey and red m0952.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 953) as 'A Chelsea street'.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• Possibly 'Notes' - 'Harmonies' - 'Nocturnes', Messrs Dowdeswell, London, 1884 (cat. no. 8) as 'The Little Grocery, Chelsea; grey and red'.
• Possibly 78th Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 1904 (cat. no. 109).

Catalogues 1906-Present

• James McNeill Whistler retrospective, Tokyo, 2014 (cat.no. 89), pp. 124, 226-27, 274.

Unpublished

• Yale Center for British Art website at https://collections.britishart.yale.edu.