Mère Gérard
1858Etching on chine collé
K.11 (4/4)
Bequeathed by Joseph Whistler Revillon, 1955
Hunterian Art Gallery, GLAHA 46688
Mère Gérard was a flower seller outside a Paris pleasure garden, the Bal Bullier. A strong, independent character, she posed several times for Whistler. The layers of mismatched clothes that kept her warm were drawn with immense care for detail, using a variety of line and shading, etched more or less deeply. This impression, published with the 'French Set', is rather battered. Whistler's great-nephew bequeathed it to the University.