Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander
- Artist: James McNeill Whistler
- Date: 1872–4
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1902 x 978 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander” by James McNeill Whistler. Painted in 1872, the work shows eight‑year‑old Cicely Alexander – daughter of a London banker – posed in the same relaxed posture that Gustave Manet used in his 1862 painting *Lola de Valence*. Whistler gave the child meticulous instructions for her attire; the dress is detailed down to the placement of each sash, and the hat’s feather is a pale green that echoes the black‑pump bows. The picture also carries Japonisme: a gold‑edged black dado and the wall divider frame a delicate daisies‑and‑butterfly pattern, while the carpet beneath her was specially made for the painting.
The artist spent more than 70 long sessions with Cicely; she later recalled standing for hours and finishing in tears. Critics first judged it as a “disagreeable presentation,” but today we see how Whistler used subtle tonal harmony to bind grey, green and delicate details into a quiet portrait.
See it in person
Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
