Whistler returned to London from Paris in February 1896, seeking medical treatment for his wife, Beatrice, who was dying of cancer. They took rooms overlooking the Thames on the sixth floor of the newly-built, luxurious Savoy Hotel on the Strand. Whistler was able to sit with Beatrice while making drawings on lithographic transfer paper of the view from the window or the balcony.
Beatrice died a few weeks after this lithograph was made. Whistler was devastated. The feelings evoked in the image were so painful that he tried to recall the handful of impressions that he had given to close friends.
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James McNeill Whistler
By the Balcony 1896
Transfer lithograph on paper.
The Art Institute of Chicago. Mansfield-Whittemore-Crown Collection on deposit at the Art Institute of Chicago
These prints provide a panoramic sweep of the Thames from Whistler's rooms on the sixth floor of the Savoy Hotel. To the right were views of Charing Cross Bridge (now called Hungerford Bridge), Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, while to the left was Waterloo Bridge, with St. Paul's Cathedral beyond.
At this stage Whistler channelled most of his experimentation into lithography, a medium perfectly suited to the restrained, understated effects he was seeking; the scenes appear more like memories or dreams than views from a window. Monet admired these prints, and decided to stay at the Savoy himself and paint variations on the same theme.
James McNeill Whistler
Savoy Pigeons 1896
Transfer lithograph on paper.
Lent by the Art Institute of Chicago. Mansfield-Whittemore-Crown Collection on deposit at the Art Institute of Chicago
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