The Baby, Gray's Inn |  Freer Gallery of Art (1903.151) | |
| Number: | 288 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 100 x 67 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at right | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 1 | |
| Known impressions: | 2 | |
| Catalogues: | K.298; M.295 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (2) | ||
KEYWORD
baby, children, courtyard, garden, Inns of Court, tree.
TITLE
All the titles used for this etching describe the subject and site, with minor variations:
'The Baby Grays Inn' or possibly 'The Little Picnic' (1887/1888, Whistler). 2
'The Baby (Grays Inn)' (1889, Whistler). 3
'Baby Grays Inn' (1890/1891, Whistler). 4
Possibly 'The Little Picnic' (1890/1892, Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896)). 5
'Gray's Inn Babies' (1902, Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932)). 6
'Babies, Gray’s Inn' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 7
There is only one toddler in the scene, so Whistler's first title, 'The Baby, Gray's Inn' (with added punctuation), is preferable to later published titles.
'The Baby Grays Inn' or possibly 'The Little Picnic' (1887/1888, Whistler). 2
'The Baby (Grays Inn)' (1889, Whistler). 3
'Baby Grays Inn' (1890/1891, Whistler). 4
Possibly 'The Little Picnic' (1890/1892, Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896)). 5
'Gray's Inn Babies' (1902, Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932)). 6
'Babies, Gray’s Inn' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 7
There is only one toddler in the scene, so Whistler's first title, 'The Baby, Gray's Inn' (with added punctuation), is preferable to later published titles.
DESCRIPTION
In the foreground, just to right of centre, is a toddler wearing a sun bonnet, holding a doll in her right hand and looking to right. Behind her, to left, two girls with high sun-bonnets are seated on the ground; the one on the left is looking at the other, who has her back to the viewer. A faint outline of the latter, bending forward to look at the ground, is still visible. On the far side of the lawn, to right, is the trunk of a tree. In the background to left, there is a short stretch of railing, in front of a building. To left of this is the faint outline of another tree. Two cellar windows are visible behind and to right of the railing, and above these are four narrow ground floor windows.
SITE
The Inns of court, Gray's Inn, London, UK. Gray's Inn, where members of the legal profession had rooms, enclosed pleasant courtyards. The walks and grounds were popular with nursemaids and mothers with children.
Grey's Inn Gardens, 2011.
Photograph © M.F. MacDonald, Whistler Etchings Project, 2011.