The Sisters

1894

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Artist Thomas Way and Son, Printer

Not On View

Image Only Image + Details All Images High Resolution TIFF Metadata

About the Artwork

Please note: This section is empty
Markings

Please note: This section is empty

This section contains information about signatures, inscriptions and/or markings an object may have.
Provenance

Please note: This section is empty

Provenance is a record of an object's ownership. We are continually researching and updating this information to show a more accurate record and to ensure that this object was ethically and legally obtained.

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.
Catalogue Raisonné

Please note: This section is empty

A catalogue raisonné is an annotated listing of artworks created by an artist across different media.
Credit Line for Reproduction

Please note: This section is empty

The credit line includes information about the object, such as the artist, title, date, and medium. Also listed is its ownership, the manner in which it was acquired, and its accession number. This information must be cited alongside the object whenever it is shown or reproduced.

About the Artwork

Title The Sisters

Artwork Date 1894

Makers James Abbott McNeill Whistler (Artist) American, 1834 - 1903 Thomas Way and Son (Printer) English, active c.1878 - 1896

Medium Transfer lithograph printed in black ink on off-white laid paper

Dimensions Image: 6 × 9 1/8 inches (15.2 × 23.2 cm) Sheet: 8 1/8 × 11 5/8 inches (20.6 × 29.5 cm)

Classification Prints

Department Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Credit City of Detroit Purchase

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 30.48

Markings

Signed Signed, on stone, center left edge of image: [Whistler's butterfly device] Signed, in graphitel, lower left center: [Whistler's butterfly device]

Inscriptions Inscribed, in pencil, bottom left edge: Way 71 II The Sisters Inscribed, lower right corner: c. 17529 (Colnaghi Gallery inventory number)

Marks Watermark, center of sheet: [possibly FG or GL in shield] Stamped, in brown, lower left, verso: RBP in a square, indicating that it is a lifetime impress inherited by Rosalind Birnie Philip (Lugt 406), Whistler's sister-in-law and executor.

Provenance

Rosalind Birnie Philip (London, England). 1930, (Gordon Galleries, 37 Adams Avenue East, Detroit, Michigan, USA)

1930-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

Please note: This section is empty

The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Published References

Please note: This section is empty

We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

Suggest Feedback

Catalogue Raisoneé

Please note: This section is empty

Credit Line for Reproduction

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, The Sisters, 1894, transfer lithograph printed in black ink on off-white laid paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 30.48.