1858
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Rag Pickers, Quartier Mouffetard, Paris is a 1858 ink by James McNeill Whistler, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two people inside a dim, cluttered room. One sits at a table, maybe eating, while the other leans against the wall, hat pulled low. The walls are rough, the floor uneven, and light barely spills in through a small window. A basket and a few scattered items sit on the table. The artist used sharp lines to show texture—wood, fabric, even the rough paper itself. This style highlights how hard life could be in crowded city areas. Next, look up etching to see how artists carve images into metal plates.
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
