Skip to main content
Advanced Search
An etching of a man and woman reading books at a round cloth covered table which holds a lamp. …
The Music Room
An etching of a man and woman reading books at a round cloth covered table which holds a lamp. …
An etching of a man and woman reading books at a round cloth covered table which holds a lamp. At left, a seated man is reading a paper in front of a window.
The Music Room, James McNeill Whistler, 1858, etching on paper, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia.

The Music Room

Artist (American, 1834 - 1903)
Date1858
Mediumetching on paper
DimensionsPlate: 5 3/4 × 8 1/2 inches (14.6 × 21.6 cm)
Sheet: 7 1/4 × 9 1/2 inches (18.4 × 24.1 cm)
Framed: 12 7/8 × 15 5/8 × 5/8 inches (32.7 × 39.7 × 1.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the family of Mrs. Elizabeth Millar Bullard.
Object number1942.8
On View
Not on view
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextThis early etching portrays Whistler’s extended family—his brother-in-law Seymour Haden reading a newspaper on the left; Haden’s medical partner, James Traer, studying at the table; and Whistler’s step-sister, Deborah Haden, poring over a thin volume on the right. The bold contrasts of light and dark in this work successfully convey the impression of a darkened room illuminated by the light of a single lamp, which casts a glare over one side of the room. Whistler pulled several proofs of The Music Room, experimenting with different types of paper and amounts of surface ink. He preferred the darker prints such as this one.
Collections
Image Not Available for Denoisel, Reading in the Garden, Renée Approaching
Denoisel, Reading in the Garden, Renée Approaching
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for Denoisel and Henri Mauperin’s Rooms in the rue Taitbout as Boisjorand de Villacourt Enters to Challenge Him to a Duel
Denoisel and Henri Mauperin’s Rooms in the rue Taitbout as Boisjorand de Villacourt Enters to Challenge Him to a Duel
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for Renée Hugging Her Father as She Comes in to Breakfast
Renée Hugging Her Father as She Comes in to Breakfast
James Tissot
1882
An interior scene with four women and one man engaging in various activities in a cozy room.
Intimate
Julius LeBlanc Stewart
1897
Image Not Available for Henri Mauperin Wounded after the Duel with Boisjorand de Villacourt
Henri Mauperin Wounded after the Duel with Boisjorand de Villacourt
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for M. and Mme. Mauperin in Egypt
M. and Mme. Mauperin in Egypt
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for M. Mauperin Sitting in a Public Garden in Paris
M. Mauperin Sitting in a Public Garden in Paris
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for Renée and Reverchon Swimming in the Seine
Renée and Reverchon Swimming in the Seine
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for Renée and Her Father Sitting in the Porch of the Church at Morimond
Renée and Her Father Sitting in the Porch of the Church at Morimond
James Tissot
1882
A silver pitcher with pink asters and pears on a plate.
Still Life with Silver Pitcher, Asters, and Pears
Henriette Amiard Oberteuffer
c. 1920s
Image Not Available for Renée Sitting at the Piano, Crying
Renée Sitting at the Piano, Crying
James Tissot
1882
Image Not Available for Summer Evening
Summer Evening
James Tissot
1882
Telfair Museum
Copyright © Telfair Museum