En plein soleil

James McNeill Whistler|Auguste Delâtre

1858 · Etching, printed in black ink on gray chine on white wove paper (chine collé); third state of three (Glasgow) · Drawings and Prints

Whistler probably captured this image of a grisette, or working girl holding a parasol, in the countryside near Paris (the title translates to "In Full Sun"). Realist and naturalist ideas circulating among artists in France influenced the unidealized approach. One of Whistler's early etchings, it was made in the summer of 1858 before he set out in mid-August to tour the Rhineland. In November, it was included in "Douze eau-fortes d'apres Nature" ("Twelve Etchings from Nature"), known as the "French Set."

Artist

James McNeill Whistler|Auguste Delâtre

Date

1858

Medium

Etching, printed in black ink on gray chine on white wove paper (chine collé); third state of three (Glasgow)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917