Whistler v. Ruskin
author
James McNeill Whistler
(American, 1834 - 1903)
publisher
Chatto & Windus
(established London, 1855)
Date1878
Place MadeLondon, Greater London, England, Europe
MediumPrinted ink on paper
Dimensions19.5 x 14.7 cm (7 11/16 x 5 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsBooks
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession number10.b.3.25
eMuseum ID727163
EmbARK ObjectID19197
TMS Source ID6655
Last Updated8/9/24
Description17 p.; 21 cmStatus
Not on viewWeb CommentaryIsabella Stewart Gardner collected James McNeill Whistler’s published writing as well as his artwork. In this book, the artist responds to a public dispute with the art critic John Ruskin. Whistler sued Ruskin for libel in 1877 after the critic published a review that accused him of “flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face.” The case was decided in Whistler’s favor, but the court awarded him only a farthing in damages. Frustrated, the painter published his own version of the trial—Whistler vs. Ruskin: Art & Art Critics.
BibliographyNotesIsabella Stewart Gardner. A Choice of Books from the Library of Isabella Stewart Gardner, Fenway Court (Boston, 1906), p. 69.
Kathleen King, "Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee: James McNeill Whistler," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 July 2024, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/james-mcneill-whistler-walking-stick
Kathleen King, "Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee: James McNeill Whistler," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 9 July 2024, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/james-mcneill-whistler-walking-stick
MarksNotesDedicated in ink (title page): Isabella S. Gardner / from - [printed] Whistler
ProvenanceNotesProbably a gift from James McNeill Whistler to Isabella Stewart Gardner by 1906.
