Research Catalog

Whistler's mother : portrait of an extraordinary life

Title
Whistler's mother : portrait of an extraordinary life / Daniel E. Sutherland and Georgia Toutziari.
Author
Sutherland, Daniel E.
Publication
New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, 2018.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JQE 18-78Schwarzman Building - Art & Architecture Room 300

Details

Additional Authors
Toutziari, Georgia
Description
245 pages, 32 pages of color plates : color illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
Discover the extraordinary woman behind one of the most famous images of motherhood in Western art Judged by the portrait Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1 (1871), painted by her son James McNeill Whistler, Anna Whistler (1804-1881) appears to have been a pious, unassuming, domestic woman. This characterization, however, is far from the whole truth. Anna was born in the slaveholding South, raised principally in Brooklyn, New York, and resided for many years in both Russia and Great Britain, and her life was filled with adventure and excitement. The authors' unprecedented use of her private diaries and correspondence results in a crisp biographical rendering that reveals a resilient, vibrant, bright, and deeply engaged woman. In her writings, Anna made shrewd observations about the social, cultural, artistic, and political issues of her era, which was one of enormous and near-constant change. She knew and interacted with an astonishing array of people, from Russian peasants and American farmers to Robert E. Lee and Giuseppe Mazzini. She also raised one of the finest artists of the nineteenth century. As her son made his way in the art world, Anna became his unofficial agent, promoting his work, managing his finances, and advising him on the best opportunities for success. That he, in turn, should immortalize her as a global celebrity and international icon of motherhood was only appropriate.
Subjects
Genre/Form
  • Biographies.
  • Biography.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-230) and index.
Contents
A child of two worlds, 1804-31 -- Wife and mother, 1832-43 -- Russia, 1843-44 -- Impatient reformer, 1845-49 -- A widowed mother, 1849-54 -- Sojourner, 1854-60 -- The manager, 1860-67 -- The mother, 1867-72 -- Onlooker, 1872-81 -- Icon, 1881-2018.
Call Number
JQE 18-78
ISBN
  • 9780300229684
  • 0300229682
LCCN
2017954570
OCLC
1002129877
Author
Sutherland, Daniel E., author.
Title
Whistler's mother : portrait of an extraordinary life / Daniel E. Sutherland and Georgia Toutziari.
Publisher
New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, 2018.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-230) and index.
Added Author
Toutziari, Georgia, author.
Research Call Number
JQE 18-78
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