The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

The date of this work is uncertain. The drawing was at one point thought to be a Venetian subject, which would mean it dated from 1880. ¹ The technique appears to resemble Study for 'The Beggars' (K194) m0864, which dates from 1881.

If it indeed was owned by Joshua Hutchinson Hutchinson (b. ca 1829-d.1891), then it must date from before his death in 1891.

Later (Christie's, 1962, and MacDonald, 1995), it was identified as a scene in Ajaccio and given the title 'Doorway in Ajaccio', which would mean it dates from 1901.

Doorway, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1690) as 'Doorway in Ajaccio'. The entry has been revised and updated.

Images

Subject

Site

Doorway, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

The site has been variously identified as Venice, Italy, and Ajaccio, Corsica. It was not, as suggested in Maggs' sale catalogue of 1937, a study for a Venetian etching.

Technique

Technique

Doorway, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Study for 'The Beggars' (K194), Whereabouts unknown

The bold washes and small area of fine detail, are effective, but very difficult to date. The drawing appears to have much in common with an unlocated sketch Study for 'The Beggars' (K194) m0864. However, this is hard to judge from a photograph.

History

Provenance

• Before 1891: possibly owned by Joshua Hutchinson Hutchinson (b. ca 1829-d.1891).
• Date unknown: possibly with Messrs Dowdeswell, London dealers (label);
• 1937: sold by Maggs, London dealers, 1937 (lot 123);
• 1937: possibly bought by Castano, Boston dealers;
• Date unknown: bought by Steven Juvelis (1921-1994), Lynn, MA;
• 1962: sold at auction, Christie's, London, 22 June 1962 (lot 8) and bought by 'Young'.
• By 1984: acquired by a private collector;
• 2008: bequeathed by Joseph F. McCrindle (1923-2008) to the Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation;
• 2009: given to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

The early provenance is based on the account given by Juvelis in 1962: it is not absolutely certain that the drawing was owned by Joshua Hutchinson Hutchinson (b. ca 1829-d.1891) or by Messrs Dowdeswell.

Further details are given in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1688). This entry has been revised.

NOTE: a drawing that may have been similar to this was sold at auction, H. C. Green sale, Sotheby's, London, 16 April 1962 (lot 177) as 'A curtained door, brown wash drawn with the brush, signed with the butterfly, unframed 7 in. by 4 1/2 in'. Nothing more is known, so it has not been catalogued separately.

Exhibitions

None in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1690) as 'Doorway'.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• MacDonald, Margaret F., Notes, Harmonies, and Nocturnes: Small Works by James McNeill Whistler, M. Knoedler and Co., New York, 1984 (cat. no. 101).

Websites

• National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC website at nga.gov.