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Exhibition poster

Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket

James McNeill Whistler

1875 · Oil on panel · Detroit Institute of Arts

Size2:3 ratio
Frame
$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two
3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping
Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper
Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days
Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free
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About this work

Artist
James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903)
Year
1875
Medium
Oil on panel
Original size
60.3 × 46.4 cm
Collection
Detroit Institute of Arts
Movement
Tonalism

Sparks from a firework drift down through the dark over Cremorne Gardens, a pleasure garden on the Thames at Chelsea, with faint figures and smoke below. When it was shown in 1877 the critic John Ruskin accused Whistler of 'flinging a pot of paint in the public's face'; Whistler sued for libel and won, but was awarded a single farthing in damages, and the costs bankrupted him. The painting is in the Detroit Institute of Arts.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A near-abstract night picture of black and gold sparks for a living room, study or bar in a black frame. It suits charcoal, navy or deep green walls and pairs with Ryder's moonlit pictures.

Style, size & framing detail
Style
Exhibition poster of a Tonalism painting
Era
19th century (1875)
Orientation
Portrait
Palette
cream & beige
Mood
dramatic, moody
Rooms
living room, study or library, dining room, dorm room, hallway or entryway
Good gift for
housewarming, art lovers

Size. 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. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.

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

Details & materials
• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • 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 dark 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 exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.
Is Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket 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 Detroit Institute of Arts.
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 dark wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.
When was Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket painted, and in what medium?
Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket dates from 1875 and was made in oil on panel; the original measures 60.3 × 46.4 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.
About this design
A museum-exhibition poster of James McNeill Whistler's Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket — sparks from a firework drift down through the dark over Cremorne Gardens, a pleasure garden on the Thames at Chelsea, with faint figures and smoke below — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Tonalism and The Aesthetic Movement, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or dark wood. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.
Buy with confidence

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.
Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.
Also available as

A fine-art print

The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.

Fine artNocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket — framed in a gallery setting
Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket
James McNeill Whistler
from $39 · free shipping
Related collections
American PaintingTonalismNight Paintings & NocturnesExhibition PostersFamous Painting PrintsLiving Room Wall Art & PrintsAll collections →
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