Mother and Daughter (La Mere Malade) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Mother and Daughter (La Mere Malade) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Mother and Daughter (La Mere Malade)

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

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Title

Mother and Daughter (La Mere Malade)

 
Artist
Year
1897  
Technique
Transfer lithograph with stumping 
Image Size
7 3/8 x 6 1/4" image size 
Signature
printed butterfly, upper right 
Edition Size
ca. 200 
Annotations
pencil titled incorrectly at bottom margin "Afternoon Tea" 
Reference
Cat. no. 174, pg. 487, A Catalogue Raisonne I, The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, The Art Institute of Chicago, in association with the Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, NE2312.W45A4 1998; Levy 77; not in WAy or Kennedy 
Paper
ivory wove China paper 
State
I/I, published 
Publisher
Ambrose Vollard 
Inventory ID
22987 
Price
$4,000.00 
Description

The Chicago raisonné comments about this image, page 487: "Like 'Afternoon Tea', 'Mother and Daughter' depicts Whistler's mother-in-law, Frances Birnie Philip, and one of his sisters-in-law, probably Ethel Whibley, posing together in the drawing room of the house on the rue du Bac in Paris. The women wear the same attire in both images, suggesting that Whistler made the two drawings at about the same time, perhaps even the same day.

Both double portraits can be dated to the fall of 1897, when the dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard visited Whistler and selected 'Afternoon Tea' for inclusion in his second album of original prints. It has been suggested that at the end of that visit, Vollard carried away with him not one but two lithographic transfer drawings...

Auguste Clot, a former Lemercier employee...was the printer for Vollard's second album and the contents of Clot's estate included 45 impressions of 'Afternoon Tea' and 160 impressions of 'Mother and Daughter'. The presence of so many impressions of 'Mother and Daughter' indicates he must have been the printer for both ... double portraits. In fact, it is quite likely that when Vollard....also had the printer edition 'Mother and Daughter' for a projected third album of original prints."

The source of the alternative title of "La Mere Malade" has not been determined, it was perhaps a dealer's title.

 

Please call us at 707-546-7352 or email artannex@aol.com to purchase this item.