Bibi Valentin

James McNeill Whistler

1859 · Etching and drypoint, black ink on fine ivory laid Japan; second state of two, from the damaged plate (Glasgow) · Drawings and Prints

This image of a young girl seated on a bed, wearing a long dress and high buttoned boots, comes from a series of portraits that Whistler made in 1859. The subject, whose pet name was Bibi, was a daughter of the Valentin family. Her mother later wrote to the artist to remind him that they lived on Rue des Sts. Pères in Paris when the etching was made. The Met's collection includes two other impressions (83.1.19 and 17.21.69).

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Date

1859

Medium

Etching and drypoint, black ink on fine ivory laid Japan; second state of two, from the damaged plate (Glasgow)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917