Nocturne (1878): Art, History and Details

Nocturne (1878) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Whistler was the first to borrow musical terms for the titles of his works of art. In 1872, he defined painting as "the exact correlative of music, as vague, as purely emotional, as released from all functions of representation." Whistler’s use of musical terminology was meant to convey the supremacy of color, line, and form over subject matter in his art. The title Nocturne was suggested by the artist’s patron, Frederick Leyland, an enthusiastic amateur pianist who was especially fond of Chopin, whose nocturnes were regarded as the epitome of Romantic mood music—particularly appropriate for Whistler’s moonlit marine views.

Object facts

• Title: Nocturne
• Date: 1878
• Creator attribution: James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)
• Culture: America
• Type: Print
• Technique: lithograph on chine collé
• Dimensions: Sheet: 17.1 x 26 cm (6 3/4 x 10 1/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Lithograph
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1941.89

Collection credit

Bequest of Charles T. Brooks

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.