La Mère Gérard

James McNeill Whistler

1858 · Etching, printed in black ink on antique cream laid paper; fourth state of four (Glasgow) · Drawings and Prints

La Mère Gérard is said to have sold flowers outside the Bal Bullier in Paris, but Whistler shows her holding a shawl or piece of cloth in an unidealized portrayal that demonstrates admiration for the realism espoused by Courbet. The artist made the etching in Paris in the summer or fall of 1858 and included it in his first published set, "Douze eau-fortes d'apres Nature" ("Twelve Etchings from Nature"), known as the "French Set."

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Date

1858

Medium

Etching, printed in black ink on antique cream laid paper; fourth state of four (Glasgow)

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

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