Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother)

James McNeill Whistler

1871 · Oil on canvas · Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother)

Saint Jerome in His Study (Antonello)

Autumn

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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About this work

Artist: James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903)
Year: 1871
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 144.3 × 162.4 cm
Collection: Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Movement: American

Anna McNeill Whistler, the artist's sixty-seven-year-old mother, sits in strict profile in a black dress and white lace cap, hands folded, against a grey wall hung with a framed print and a patterned curtain. Whistler painted it in London in 1871 after a model failed to appear; his mother stood for the pose at first and then sat because she tired. The title insists the picture is a study in tone and composition rather than a portrait, a position he defended in his art-for-art's-sake writings, but the public has always read it as an image of motherhood. The Royal Academy nearly rejected it in 1872. The French state bought it in 1891, making Whistler the first American painter in the national collection, and it is now in the Musée d'Orsay.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

Greys, blacks and one white cap make this a study in tone, so give it a calm wall and a black frame: a study, hallway or landing at 16×24 or 24×36. It suits pale grey or white walls above a dark wood console or bench.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: American painting
Era: 19th century (1871)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: intimate
Rooms: hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) in the public domain?

Yes. James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Musée d'Orsay.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) painted, and in what medium?

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) dates from 1871 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 144.3 × 162.4 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) we'd choose 16×24.

About this design

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) (James McNeill Whistler) — Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Whistler's Mother) · James McNeill Whistler · 1871. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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