1880
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Alderney Street is a 1880 ink by James McNeill Whistler, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a busy city street with tall, narrow buildings lined up side by side. People and horses walk along the sidewalk, some carrying bags or riding in carriages. The buildings have balconies and big windows, and the artist used quick, loose lines to capture the movement and energy of the scene. Notice how the artist didn’t focus on perfect details—just the overall feeling of the street. The lines are sketchy, almost like a quick note, which makes it feel alive and hurried. If you like this style, look up etching to see how artists create prints like this.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.
See the richer artist page
