Early Morning 1878

Editor: This is James Abbott McNeill Whistler's "Early Morning," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a lovely, hazy composition made from graphite on paper. What do you see in it? Curator: The material reality speaks volumes. Consider the graphite itself, ground from the earth, applied laboriously to paper. This speaks to the industrial age creeping into Whistler's aesthetic. Editor: Industrial? I hadn't considered that. Curator: Look at the depiction of the city. Are those church spires or factory chimneys piercing the sky? Whistler presents both as equals, reflecting a changing social landscape rooted in the means of production. Editor: That’s a fantastic way to view this, I'll definitely think of that next time!