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James Abbott McNeill Whistler: career timeline

American · 1834–1903 · Works grouped by the decade they were made (the cataloged date, or a date in the signature or title), not by sale date. 146 of 247 lots (59% of works) have a usable creation date; the others are listed at the end by the decade they were sold. Each work is shown once, even when it sold more than once.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler: works at auction by decade the work was made. Each work counted once; medians use sold works only, in US dollars.
Decade madeWorksSoldMedian sold priceMain medium
1840s11$500Sign upDrypoint
1850s6755$811Sign upEtching
1860s108$2kSign upDrypoint
1870s3223$875Sign upEtching
1880s128$2kSign upEtching
1890s2216$392Sign upLithograph
1900s11$900Sign upDrypoint

Where does mine fit?

Enter what you know about a work by James Abbott McNeill Whistler to see the closest recorded works from the same period, with their auction results. These are past records only, not a valuation: condition, authenticity, provenance and the market all change what a work brings. For an auction estimate of your work, get a free auction estimate.

1840s 1 work

Sold
1 of 1
Median
$500Sign up
Average
$500Sign up
Typical size
6 × 8.5 in (16 × 22 cm)
Mediums
Drypoint (1)
Subjects
—

1850s 67 works

Sold
55 of 67
Median
$811Sign up
Average
$1.1kSign up
Typical size
6 × 8 in (15 × 20 cm)
Mediums
Etching (59), Drypoint (6), Other (2)
Subjects
Harbours & ports (4), Figures & portraits (2)
Show 12 more (1850s)

…and 43 more works from this group in the full results list.

1860s 10 works

Sold
8 of 10
Median
$2kSign up
Average
$2.7kSign up
Typical size
8.5 × 8 in (21 × 20 cm)
Mediums
Drypoint (6), Etching (4)
Subjects
Figures & portraits (1), Harbours & ports (1)

1870s 32 works

Sold
23 of 32
Median
$875Sign up
Average
$3.4kSign up
Typical size
6.5 × 8 in (17 × 21 cm)
Mediums
Etching (23), Drypoint (4), Other (2)
Subjects
Rivers & marshes (2), Landscapes (1)
Show 12 more (1870s)

…and 8 more works from this group in the full results list.

1880s 12 works

Sold
8 of 12
Median
$2kSign up
Average
$14.5kSign up
Typical size
6.5 × 7 in (17 × 18 cm)
Mediums
Etching (7), Lithograph (3), Watercolor (2)
Subjects
Sea & coast (2), Markets & villages (2)

1890s 22 works

Sold
16 of 22
Median
$392Sign up
Average
$1.2kSign up
Typical size
8.5 × 6.5 in (22 × 17 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (19), Etching (1), Drawing (1)
Subjects
Figures & portraits (2), Markets & villages (1)
Show 10 more (1890s)

1900s 1 work

Sold
1 of 1
Median
$900Sign up
Average
$900Sign up
Typical size
7.5 × 6 in (19 × 15 cm)
Mediums
Drypoint (1)
Subjects
—

Creation date not recorded

101 works have no cataloged or signed date. They are grouped here by the decade they were last sold, which says nothing about when they were made.

Undated, sold in the 2000s 13 works

Sold
9 of 13
Median
$1kSign up
Average
$930Sign up
Typical size
9.5 × 8 in (24 × 20 cm)
Mediums
Etching (7), Lithograph (4), Drypoint (1)
Subjects
Harbours & ports (1)
Show 6 more (2000s)

…and 1 more works from this group in the full results list.

Undated, sold in the 2010s 50 works

Sold
42 of 50
Median
$775Sign up
Average
$1.7kSign up
Typical size
6.5 × 8 in (17 × 20 cm)
Mediums
Etching (30), Lithograph (12), Drypoint (4)
Subjects
Harbours & ports (2), Markets & villages (2), Figures & portraits (1)
Show 6 more (2010s)

…and 38 more works from this group in the full results list.

Undated, sold in the 2020s 38 works

Sold
26 of 38
Median
$500Sign up
Average
$821Sign up
Typical size
6.5 × 7.5 in (16 × 19 cm)
Mediums
Etching (26), Lithograph (8), Photograph (3)
Subjects
Harbours & ports (4)
Show 6 more (2020s)

…and 26 more works from this group in the full results list.

Medians and averages count sold works only (each work's most recent sale), in US dollars at the sale-date rate. Works cataloged as “attributed to”, “circle of” or similar are left out. All James Abbott McNeill Whistler auction results →