Beggars

James McNeill Whistler's etching Beggars shows figures standing within the sunlit entrance of a dark sottoportico, one of the many cavernous passageways that cut through Venetian buildings, leading to a street glimpsed in the illuminated background. By means of short, whiskery strokes, Whistler detailed the architectural structure and texture of the time-worn walls, timbered beam ceiling, and ground of the murky passageway, where an old woman and a waif-like girl in tattered clothing stand at the right. Within the tunnel, a man, seen from behind as a black silhouette, walks towards the open space beyond, where two women and a man are faintly indicated. Although Whistler etched this scene on the spot, he later extensively reworked the figures: the old woman, for example, was initially a younger one. The artist eventually took this etching through ten states back in his studio; this impression is an example of the ninth.

While many artists served the tourist market with views of Venice's Grand Canal and other celebrated sites, Whistler preferred typical yet nondescript subjects. Fascinated by the compositional challenge of rendering receding space by means of a contrast of light and dark areas, he made it the focus of several Venetian views, notably Doorway and Vine (TF 1992.149) as well as Fish Shop, Venice (TF 1992.151), San Biagio, (TF 1992.157), and a much earlier London etching,The Lime-Burner (TF 1995.4) .

One of the first prints Whistler made upon his arrival in Venice in 1879, The Beggers was included among the "Twelve Etchings," known as the "First Venice Set," published in 1880. His choice of subject was probably not coincidental, for the artist had recently suffered his own financial misfortune and knew the hardship of asking others for money. In 1879, following his much-publicized bankruptcy necessitating a humiliating sale of his possessions, Whistler received a welcome commission from the Fine Art Society, a London gallery, to create a dozen etchings of Venice. Departing in September 1879 for what was meant to be a three-month trip, Whistler remained in Venice until November 1880. During that time, he created fifty etchings (now highly coveted by collectors), nearly one hundred pastels, and several paintings. The 1880, 1881, and 1883 Fine Art Society exhibitions of Whistler's Venice scenes restored his tarnished reputation, provided new sources of income, and marked a significant turning point in his career. His etchings reveal a remarkable linear fluency as well as innovative techniques of inking and wiping that result in subtle nuances of light and dark. 

Un regard américain sur Paris (An American Glance at Paris), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 11–October 31, 1997.

Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999. [exh. cat.]

The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]

Taxing VIsions: Financial Episodes in Late Nineteenth-Century American Art, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania, and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California (organizers). Venues: Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania, September 28–December 19, 2010; The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California, January 29–May 30, 2011. [exh. cat.]

Kennedy, Edward Guthrie. The Etched Work of Whistler. Illustrated by reproductions in collotype of the different states of the plates. New York: Grolier Club, 1910. No. 194 ix/x.

Lochnan, Katharine A. The Etchings of James McNeill Whistler. New Haven, Connecticut and London, England: Art Gallery of Ontario and Yale University Press, 1984. No. 192.

Reymond, Nathalie. Un regard américain sur Paris (An American Glance at Paris). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Text p. 99; ill. p. 99 (color). [specific reference to Terra print]

Grieve, Alastair. Whistler's Venice. New Haven, Connecticut and London, England: Yale University Press, 2000. Text pp. 36, 39, 59, 128, 131, 189; fig. 16, p. 37 (K.194 ix).

MacDonald, Margaret F. Palaces in the Night: Whistler in Venice. Hampshire, England: Lund Humphries, 2001. Text pp. 20–23, 39, 68, 79, 84, 88, 91, 93, 98, 128–32, 139; figs. 21, 22, p. 22 (K.194-second state, K.194-first state); figs. 104, 105 (K.194 viii/ix, K.194).

Mazow, Leo G. and Kevin Murphy. Taxing Visions: Financial Episodes in Late Nineteenth-Century American Art. (exh. cat. Palmer Museum of Art, University Park, Pennsylvania and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California). University Park, Pennsylvania: Palmer Museum of Art and San Marino, California: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 2010. Text pp. 17, 72 (checklist); ill. fig. 14, p. 17 (color).