Art Institute of Chicago

Study of a Girl's Head and Shoulders

James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)

Date: 1896–97
Medium: Oil on panel
Culture: United States
Department: Arts of the Americas
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

In addition to large-scale portraits, James McNeill Whistler created small-scale likenesses, often on wood panel, as in this painting of a young sitter. A well-known beauty, Olga Caracciolo lived in Dieppe, France, likely where this work was executed, and later married the photographer Adolf de Meyer. Rather than a swift, abbreviated study for a larger composition, Whistler considered a work such as this to be a satisfying aesthetic whole. Indeed, small paintings serve as invitations for an intimate viewing experience and contemplation of the artist’s harmonies of color and form.

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Object type: AAT300033618

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