James McNeill Whistler Nocturne: Blue and Gold—Southampton Water, 1872
Coast Scene, Bathers
James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)
- Date
- 1884–85
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Size
- 5¼ × 8½ in (13.3 × 21.9 cm)
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, accession 1933.208. See the museum’s record
- Credit
- Walter S. Brewster Collection
Public domain image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago (CC0).
Palette
- #696964, 34 % of the picture, closest to Charcoal walls
- #748082, 23 % of the picture, closest to Dusty Blue walls
- #6A7470, 19 % of the picture, closest to Teal walls
- #626E6B, 18 % of the picture, closest to Teal walls
- #4F5A58, 6 % of the picture, closest to Charcoal walls
Closest wall colors:
Hang it
Pick the furniture and a print size to see it to scale on your wall.
- 22 × 36 in, the whole painting on 24 × 36 in paper
- Center
- 50¼ in (128 cm) from the floor
- Above the console table
- 8 in (20 cm) from the console table to the frame
- Ideal width
- 36 to 41 in over a 54 in console table
- Why this height
- Centered at eye level, this frame would not sit 6 to 10 in above the console table, so the 8 in gap sets the height.
Try it on your wall color
Default greige
Print it
No standard paper matches this painting’s proportions closely, so print it whole with a white border, or trim the edges to fill the paper.
| Paper | Filling the paper | Printed whole | Frame | Frame with a 2 in mat | Frame with a 3 in mat | Sharpness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 in | trims 15 % | 4¼ × 7 in | 5 × 7 in ready-made | 9 × 11 in custom | 11 × 13 in custom | 278 dpi, crisp from a step back |
| 12 × 16 in | trims 19 % | 9¾ × 16 in | 12 × 16 in ready-made | 16 × 20 in ready-made | 18 × 22 in custom | 123 dpi, soft up close |
| 18 × 24 in | trims 19 % | 14½ × 24 in | 18 × 24 in ready-made | 22 × 28 in ready-made | 24 × 30 in ready-made | 82 dpi, soft up close |
| 20 × 30 in | trims 8.9 % | 18¼ × 30 in | 20 × 30 in ready-made | 24 × 34 in custom | 26 × 36 in custom | 65 dpi, soft up close |
| 24 × 36 in | trims 8.9 % | 22 × 36 in | 24 × 36 in ready-made | 28 × 40 in custom | 30 × 42 in custom | 54 dpi, soft up close |
| 30 × 40 in | trims 19 % | 24¼ × 40 in | 30 × 40 in ready-made | 34 × 44 in custom | 36 × 46 in custom | 49 dpi, soft up close |
Sharpness is worked out from the largest file the museum offers. Above 300 dpi a print holds up at arm’s length; 150 dpi is plenty for a picture seen from across a sofa.
Download
Free for any use, including commercial: this image is public domain (CC0).
- Thumbnail (WebP) 560 × 335 px from Room Paintings
- Web image 843 × 505 px from Art Institute of Chicago
- Print file 2,000 × 1,199 px from Art Institute of Chicago
- The museum’s record of this painting Art Institute of Chicago
Public domain image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago (CC0). You may print, share, change and sell it without asking. Read what that means on our image license page, and how to get a good result in how to print a public-domain painting.
More like this
By James McNeill Whistler, or in the same style or subject.
All works by James McNeill Whistler 
James McNeill Whistler The Yellow Room, ca. 1883–84
James McNeill Whistler Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur Jerome Eddy, 1894
James McNeill Whistler Portrait of Dr. William McNeill Whistler, 1871–73
Gustave Caillebotte Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877
Georges Seurat A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, 1884–86, border added 1888–89
George Inness The Home of the Heron, 1893
James McNeill Whistler Study for "Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2: Portrait of Thomas Carlyle", 1872–73