James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American artist who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. His birthplace in Massachusetts is now a museum dedicated to him. His father was a talented train driver and the family moved to St. Petersburg in 1842, because of a good job offer. Whistler struggled as a child with irascible fits, bouts of illness, as well as periods of extreme fatigue - drawing helped him stay alert. He received private art lessons and attended the Russian Academy of Art at age eleven. In 1844 he met the Scottish painter Sir William Allan, who called him a "rare genius." His brother-in-law, surgeon and painter Sir Francis Seymour Haden, spurred him on to a career in painting and gave him his first set of watercolors. After his father's death, the family returned to the United States and Whistler applied to the United States Military Academy, where, however, he became known more for his sarcastic comments and dislike of authority. However, he did learn cartography there, which helped him land his first job: pattern draftsman for military and naval purposes.
In 1855 he traveled to Paris and studied there briefly, but he preferred to study on his own and copy works of art at the Louvre. There he also met the French painter Henri Henri Fantin-Latour, who in turn introduced him to Gustave Courbet, leader of the Realism movement, and his circle. Among them were Charles Baudelaire, whose theories greatly influenced Whistler, and Théophile Gautier, who inspired him to see music in art. Many of his works bear names such as "Arrangements," "Harmonies," and "Nocturnes." Among his most famous works is "Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1," better known as "Whistler's Mother," which is on display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. At the time, the work was negatively received for its lack of sentimentality. Whistler is generally considered averse to sentimentality and moral allusions in paintings, being an advocate of "art for art's sake." The artist also had a special interest in Asian art, studying ceramics, which is how he came up with his characteristic signature, reminiscent of a butterfly.
After the death of his mother in 1881, he took his mother's maiden name as a middle name. He became a member, and later president, of the Society of British Artists, even Queen Victoria expressed her admiration for the artist's illustrations. He made other important friendships with Monet, Rodin and Toulouse-Lautrec. Overall, he counts as an inspiration of several generations of artists in Europe and the U.S. and had lively exchanges with Impressionists, Realists and Symbolists.
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.jpg "Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler")
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.jpg "Blue and Silver: Trouville, c.1865 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne in Grey and Gold: Chelsea Snow by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Cremorne Lights by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Blue and Gold--Southampton Water by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne in Blue and Silver by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Harmony in Flesh Colour and Red by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Portrait of Theodore Duret by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Man smoking a pipe, c.1859 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1862 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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 (see also 106898) - (MeisterDrucke-205236).jpg "Symphony in White, No. III, 1865-7 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Sunset: Venice by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Blue and Silver by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "A Foggy Night in London by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "St. Ives: Sunset by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Harmony in Blue and Silver: Beaching The Boat, Etretat by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge, c1872-5 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Blue and Silver—Battersea Reach by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Green and Blue: The Dancer by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Ocean Wave, 1883-1884 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne, Blue and Gold, St. Mark")
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.jpg "Vase with slightly bulging body by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Sketch of a Woman by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Square Canister with Expanding Neck by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Vase with Slightly Bulging Body by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Princess from the Land of Porcelain by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Oviform Ginger Jar with Bell-shaped cover by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Bead Stringers by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1281538).jpg "Nocturne, from Venice, a Series of Twelve Etchings (the \"First Venice Set\") by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1258449).jpg "Battersea Dawn (Cadogan Pier) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Old Woman and Child in Oval from Sketches on the Coast Survey Plate by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Chancellerie, Loches by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Brothers by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-267602).jpg "Group of four men, 1858 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Limehouse, 1859 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Grey and Silver–Purfleet, 1881-1883 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Regent")
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.jpg "C.L. Drouet, Sculptor by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Fruit-Stall, 1880 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Little Putney Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Laundress: \"La Blanchisseuse de la Place Dauphine\" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Doorway by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Cocks and Hens, Hôtel Colbert by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Little Lagoon by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Double Doorway, Sandwich by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Twelve Etchings from Nature: En Plein Soleil by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Little Nude Model, Reading, 1889-1890 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Weary, 1863 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Draped Figure, Standing by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Lime-Burner, from the Thames Set (A Series of Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames and Other Subjects) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Toilet, 1878 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Southend Pier, 1882-1884 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Sketches on the Coast Survey Plate by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Little Salute, 1879-1880 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Speke Hall: The Avenue by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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_Yellow_and_Blue_-_(MeisterDrucke-1241059).jpg "The Blue Girl (fragment): Yellow and Blue by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Miser by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nocturne: Black and Red–Back Canal, Holland by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Fifth of November, 1895 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Violin Player by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Variations in Flesh Colour and Green: The Balcony by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-191309).jpg "Whistler with Friends, 1858 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Palaces, Brussels by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Title Page for Douze Eaux Fortes d")
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.jpg "The Traghetto, No. 2 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Adam and Eve Tavern, Old Chelsea by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Sketches on the Coast Survey Plate, 1854 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Dyer by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Fish Shop, Venice by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Old Westminster Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Battersea, Dawn by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Prices Candle Works by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Kenneth and Lena Graeme, in")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-199306).jpg "Tillie, a Model by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1246793).jpg "The Title Page for")
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.jpg "Cocks and Hens, Hôtel Colbert by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Blue Girl fragment: Purple and Blue by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Pink and Rose, The Mothers Sleep by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nursemaids: \"The Luxembourg Nannies\" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "An Illustration to")
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.jpg "A Portrait: Mildred Howells by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-249945).jpg "Nude Figure Reclining, c.1885-88 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Old Westminster Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Gabled Roofs by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Dog on the Kennel, 1858 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Islands: Evening by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "A Nude Study, c1872, 1904 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Little Café au Bois by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Savoy Scaffolding, c. 1887 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "C. L. Drouet, Sculptor by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Old Putney Bridge, 1879 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-192775).jpg "Standing Figure of an Old Woman by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Greek Girl, 1865 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "August Delâtre, 1858 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Long Venice, 1879-1880 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Market-Place, Vitré by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Nursemaids, 1894 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "Grey and Silver – Liverpool by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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.jpg "The Whitesmiths, Impasse des Carmélites by James Abbott McNeill Whistler")
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