Study for "Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2: Portrait of Thomas Carlyle"

1872–73

In 1872, James McNeill Whistler began a large portrait of historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle. He made several studies, including this one, which strongly resembles the finished painting. Concerned with harmonious arrangements of color and form, the artist focused on his sitter's black coat. The composition is strikingly similar to Whistler’s Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, also known as Whistler’s Mother.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)

Date

1872–73

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

28.6 × 21 cm (11 1/4 × 8 1/4 in.)

Origin

United States

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne