James Abbott McNeill Whistler
American, 1834–1903
Chelsea Reach (The Thames), ca. 1875
Pastel on brown paper
Gift of Chancellor Herman B Wells IUAM 78.32.1

Whistler invented the concept of the “Nocturne” in the 1870s to describe images made at night, especially along the water, that evoked the abstract and emotional qualities of Chopin’s piano music. This beautiful pastel, made in the mid-seventies when Whistler was first producing these experimental works, was inspired by a stretch of the River Thames near London.

Wells purchased this piece in New York in 1971 and, aware of its value and fragility, gave it to the museum in 1978.

© 2001 Indiana University Art Museum
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Photographs of artworks: Michael Cavanagh and Kevin Montague.
Photographs of Herman B Wells: Courtesy of IU Office of Communications and Marketing.