Artwork Page for The Trial Sermon, Joanna Douglas at Her Desk

Details / Information for The Trial Sermon, Joanna Douglas at Her Desk

The Trial Sermon, Joanna Douglas at Her Desk

1862
(American, 1834–1903)
block cut by
Culture
America
Measurements
Image: 15.3 x 11.5 cm (6 x 4 1/2 in.); Sheet: 24.6 x 17.7 cm (9 11/16 x 6 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Catalogue raisonné
Johnson 6
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view

Description

One of only a handful of illustrations created by American artist James McNeill Whistler, this image accompanied an anonymously published romantic, moralizing short story entitled “The Trial Sermon” that appeared in the 1862 issue of Good Words, a British periodical. Like many of Whistler’s paintings, his illustrations avoid narrative elements; he focused instead on character sketches, allowing him to explore the visual and technical possibilities of his medium. Lost in thought, the woman in the picture communicates very little of her interior life. Instead, Whistler’s rendering of the figure matches that of her surroundings, turning her into an aesthetic object.
A vertically oriented wood engraving depicts a seated woman with light skin tone in profile facing our left. She wears a voluminous dark dress, her right hand raised to her head and gaze directed at a table holding books and a quill. Densely hatched ink lines create deep shadows on the curtains and a foreground chair. Her profile is defined by fine lines, while the rest of the interior is cast in textured darkness.

The Trial Sermon, Joanna Douglas at Her Desk

1862

James McNeill Whistler, Dalziel Brothers

(American, 1834–1903), (British)
America

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork