James Abbott McNeill WhistlerAmerican, 1834–1903Lancer
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1927.5881
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
Meanwhile, in the life of James Abbott McNeill Whistler
The whole life1854
Work as a Cartographer and Learning Etching
After West Point, Whistler worked as a cartographer for the U.S. Coast Survey. For drawing mermaids and whales in the margins of maps he was transferred to the engraving division, where he learned the technique of etching, which proved useful later.
June 1854
Expulsion from West Point
In June 1854 Whistler was dismissed after failing a chemistry examination, having answered that "silicon is a gas." At the academy he had studied drawing and mapmaking under Robert Weir.
1855
Move to Paris for Art
In 1855 Whistler arrived in Paris, rented a studio in the Latin Quarter, and adopted a bohemian lifestyle. He never returned to the United States.
