Accession Number
1991/2.1

Title
Rag Pickers, Quartier Mouffetart, Paris

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1858

Medium & Support
etching and drypoint on paper

Dimensions
7 15/16 in. x 5 5/8 in. ( 20.1 cm x 14.3 cm )

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
Whistler portrayed this interior located in the fifth arrondissement of Paris, which was an older, poor region on the left bank that was home to many poor workers. Along with his other Parisian portraits and sketches done on his walking journey that were grouped into the "French Set", this work shows Whistler drawing picturesque places and depicting images of labor akin to those of Gustave Courbet.

Physical Description
The scene takes place in a dark interior room, seen from the street. The rough stone of the doorway frames a seated woman and a young boy standing nearby. In addition to light illuminating the interior from the street, there is a recessed window niche along the left wall of the room.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
doorways
interior views
seated
standing
working class