Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1
by James McNeill Whistler, 1871
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1871
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 144.3 cm × 162.4 cm
- Gallery
- American Art Gallery
Find It In The Museum
American Art Gallery
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Part of the permanent collection
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American artist James McNeill Whistler painted this portrait of his mother in 1871, giving it the formal title "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1." Anna McNeill Whistler sits in profile against a grey wall, her hands resting in her lap, her expression calm and dignified. A framed etching hangs on the wall behind her, and a patterned curtain occupies the left edge of the composition.
Whistler emphasized that the painting was primarily an exercise in color and form rather than a sentimental portrait. The title itself treats the figure as an element in an abstract arrangement. Nevertheless, the image became an enduring symbol of motherhood in American and British culture, reproduced on stamps and referenced in countless parodies.
The painting found little appreciation in England when first shown. The French government purchased it in 1891, and it now hangs in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
Historical Significance
One of the most famous American paintings, often considered a symbol of motherhood. Displayed in the Musée d'Orsay since 1891.
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About Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1
It's at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. James McNeill Whistler painted it in 1871. The French government purchased it in 1891. It's one of the few American paintings in a major European collection.
Whistler titled it 'Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1.' He insisted the subject was less important than the formal composition of colors and shapes. The popular name 'Whistler's Mother' is what stuck. The tension between Whistler's formalism and the painting's emotional impact is part of its appeal.
Anna McNeill Whistler, the artist's mother. She was 67 when she posed. Originally, a different model was planned, but when that person didn't show up, Whistler asked his mother to stand in. She reportedly found standing too tiring, so he had her sit, creating the iconic profile pose.
It measures 144.3 cm × 162.4 cm (56.8 × 63.9 inches). The palette is severely restricted to grays, blacks, and muted whites. A framed etching and a curtain with a subtle pattern provide the only decorative elements. The simplicity gives the painting a quiet, almost meditative power.
It became a symbol of motherhood in American culture, especially after a 1934 US postage stamp featured it. During the Great Depression and World War II, it represented maternal sacrifice and domestic resilience. Whistler would have hated this interpretation. He cared about composition, not sentiment.
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