PRINTS
Whistler, James McNeill
U.S. (1834 - 1903)
Rag Gatherers
1858
Etching on laid paper
6 x 3 1/2 in. (15.2 x 9 cm) plate mark size; 7 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (19.7 x 14 cm) sheet size
Stimson Collection, gift of Dorothy Stimson Bullitt
FA 77.171

The doorway framing the scene became a device of which Whistler made frequent use. It heightens the effect of isolating objects and figures by setting them apart and editing what will be seen. He shows only a few objects -- a little table and irregular boards -- as references to the stark interior of poverty. Whistler festooned the doorway with rags but was unhappy with it. He added the two figures in 1861. -- Label copy from James McNeill Whistler: A Dreamer Apart, Reed Gallery, March 27 - June 15, 1990.