Bibi Valentin

James McNeill Whistler

1859 · Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink on medium weight dark ivory 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. Of the three examples in the Museum's collection (the others are 17.3.43 and 17.21.69), the drypoint lines in this impression retain more burr, with the plate sensitively wiped.

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Date

1859

Medium

Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink on medium weight dark ivory Japan; second state of two, from the damaged plate (Glasgow)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of William Loring Andrews, 1883, transferred from the Library