“Whistler’s Mother” by James McNeill Whistler

“Whistler’s Mother” by James McNeill Whistler depicts the painter’s mother, Anna McNeill Whistler. Its title is “Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1” but is best known by its colloquial name “Whistler’s Mother.”

It is one of the most famous works by an American artist. The painting has been featured in posters and stamps. It has also been referenced in many works of fiction and within pop culture.

An example is a Canadian War recruitment poster that urges men to enlist with the Irish Canadian Rangers and to fight for the women in their own lives.

Based on Whistler’s painting of his mother, it appeals to notions of motherhood and family values that were popular at the time and often attributed to this picture.

The image has been used as an icon for motherhood, affection for parents, and “family values” in general.

In 1934 the U.S. Post office issued a stamp engraved with a stylized image of Whistler’s Mother, accompanied by the slogan:

“In Memory and In Honor of the Mothers of America.”

“Whistler’s Mother” Stamp issued in 1934

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834 – 1903) was an American artist active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.

He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo “art for art’s sake.”

He found a parallel between painting and music and entitled many of his paintings “arrangements,” “harmonies,” and “nocturnes,” emphasizing the importance of tonal harmony.

Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers.

His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail.

Whistler’s Mother

Title: Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1
Popular Title: Whistler’s Mother
Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Year: 1871
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions Height: 144.3 cm (56.8 in). Width: 162.4 cm (63.9 in).
Museum: Musée d’Orsay, Paris

James McNeill Whistler

Name: James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Born: 1834 -Lowell, Massachusetts, US
Died: 1903 (aged 69) – London, England, UK
Nationality: American
Movement: Founder of Tonalism
Notable works:
- Whistler’s Mother
- Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter
- Symphony in White, No. 1 (The White Girl)
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler – Landscapes
  - Southend Pier
  - Green and Silver: Beaulieu, Touraine
  - Sea and Rain
  - Variations in Pink and Grey: Chelsea
- Nocturne by James Abbott McNeill Whistler
  - Nocturne: Blue and Silver – Chelsea
  - Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Southampton Water
  - Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket

Virtual Tour of the Musée d’Orsay

Portrait of the Artist’s Mother | James McNeill Whistler

Mr Bean Whistler’s Mother Speech

James McNeill Whistler: A collection of 239 paintings

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“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.”
– James Abbott McNeill Whistler

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Photo Credit: 1) James Abbott McNeill Whistler [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 2) By Hal Ross Perrigard, Harris Lithographing Co. Ltd [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 3) By US Post Office (US Post Office) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons