The Balcony
The Balcony

Currently not on view

The Balcony,

1879– 1880

James McNeill Whistler, 1834–1903; born Lowell, MA; died London, UK; active England and Paris, France
Published by Dowdeswell and Dowdeswell
x1976-110

Although Whistler rarely gave his Venetian etchings topographical titles, most of their sites have been precisely identified, as in The Balcony which features a small Renaissance house on the Rio di Santa Croce near San Pantalon. Whistler would have etched the architecture on the spot and then added the figures of the awaiting boatman, emerging woman, and balcony onlookers, which together with the flickering light and shadows enliven the frontal symmetry of the facade and provide a theatrical and mysterious atmosphere.

Information

Title
The Balcony
Dates

1879– 1880

Maker
James McNeill Whistler
Medium

Etching and drypoint

Dimensions

plate: 29.4 x 20.1 cm (11 9/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
sheet: 29.8 x 20.2 cm. (11 3/4 x 7 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. John L. Bates in memory of her father, Russell T. Mount, Class of 1902

Object Number
x1976-110
Place Depicted

Europe, Italy, Venice

Signatures

In plate, upper left: artist monogram [butterfly]
In graphite, lower left: artist monogram [butterfly] imp

Marks/Labels/Seals

Stamp of H. H. Benedict, verso of tab (Lugt 2936),

Reference Numbers
Glasgow 202 xviii; Kennedy 207 xi/xi; Mansfield 204
Culture
American
Type
prints, etchings
Materials
printing ink
Techniques
etching (printing process), mounting
Subject
figures (representations), balconies, columns (architectural elements), arches, canals, boats, palaces

IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more.

Open API URL

Our API is generally designed to provide programmatic access to the Museum's collections data for applications that require regular updates and/or the ability to dynamically query and filter the data via the endpoints provided.

Share your feedback with us

The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

Explore More

Holidays at the Museum

Princeton Collects

Mosaic Restaurant