James Whistler
(1834–1903)

James Whistler

Anecdote...

A snobbish Bostonian approached Whistler at a party one evening. "And where were you born, Mr. Whistler?" she asked. "Lowell, Massachusetts," replied the painter. "Whatever possessed you to be born in a place like that?" exclaimed the lady. "The explanation is quite simple," said Whistler. "I wished to be near my mother."


Whistler's MotherSEE a LARGE version of Whistler's most famous painting, "Arrangement in Gray and Black: the Artist's Mother".


Biographical Note...

U.S. painter who lived most of his life in London after 1860. Cantankerous and opinionated, he made many enemies in the art world—see his "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies."


More Information...

READ a brief biography of James Whistler.