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Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

La Belle Dame Paresseuse

Accession Number
1954/1.450

Title
La Belle Dame Paresseuse

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1894

Medium & Support
transfer lithograph on heavy laid paper

Dimensions
9 15/16 in x 7 5/8 in (25.2 cm x 19.4 cm);9 15/16 in x 7 5/8 in (25.2 cm x 19.4 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 1/4 in (49 cm x 36.2 cm)

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Subject matter
When Whistler married Beatrice Godwin, née Philip, in 1888 he became part of a close family circle that included his wife (who called herself Beatrix), her sisters and her mother. In 1894 Beatrix was diagnosed with cancer; Whistler was devastated. Many of the lithographs he drew of her seem to belie the reality of the situation. "The Beautiful Lazy Lady" is not an image of indolence but of illness. Whistler's portraits of Beatrix are touching and intimate, although their titles may indicate that he had trouble facing the reality of the diagnosis.

Physical Description
A seated female faces towards the viewer. She is leaning back in her chair, her chin resting on her left arm; she holds papers in her right hand that are in her lap.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
seated

1 Related Resource

Sickness and Suffering
(Part of: History of Medicine - American Association of Historians of Medicine (AAHM))

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted