Miss Cicely Alexander
Datec. 1907
Original created by
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
(American painter and printmaker, 1834–1903)
MediumColored photographic reproduction
Dimensions21 1/2 × 11 1/8 in. (54.6 × 28.3 cm)
frame: 32 1/4 × 22 in. (81.9 × 55.9 cm)
frame: 32 1/4 × 22 in. (81.9 × 55.9 cm)
Credit LineSamuel and Mary R. Bancroft Memorial, 1935
Object number1935-349
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPRINT
Label TextCicely Alexander was the 8-year-old daughter of one of Whistler's patrons. She is shown here in a short dress that would have been appropriate for a girl of her age. Whistler provided detailed instructions for the material and design of her dress. Although her pose is modeled after that of the young princess in Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas, 1656, her dress is modern. This photographic reproduction of the painting now in the collection of Tate Britain in London was purchased by Samuel Bancroft (1840-1915) as part of his collection of English Pre-Raphaelite art. While today we are able to access photographs of works of art in magazines, books, and even the Internet, during Bancroft's lifetime high-quality reproductions of works of art were more difficult to obtain and quite expensive. They were considered almost as valuable as the original work of art. This is reflected in Bancroft's choice to house this image in an expensive and up-to-date frame.
This work, one of the few color reproductions in Bancroft’s collection, was described by the seller as a “subscription proof,” as if it were executed using traditional printmaking techniques. Samuel Bancroft purchased this image from the dealer and publisher, Thomas Agnew & Sons in 1907 for $11.00. The cost of the gilt Whistler-pattern frame must have been a great deal more. The extravagant framing choice suggests he valued it on the same level as an original work of art.
