Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl

James McNeill Whistler · 1861-1863, 1872 · oil on canvas

Symphony in White, No. 1, also known as The White Girl, is a painting by James McNeill Whistler. The work shows a woman in full figure standing on a wolf skin in front of a beige curtain with a lily in her hand. The colour scheme of the painting is almost entirely white. The model is Joanna Hiffernan, the artist's mistress. Though the painting was originally called The White Girl, Whistler later started calling it Symphony in White, No. 1. By referring to his work in such abstract terms, he intended to emphasize his "art for art's sake" philosophy.

Image courtesy of The National Gallery of Art.

Available as a made-to-order museum-quality canvas print: stretched or framed.