Tissot’s London 1871-1882: The Art and Culture of City Life

Made possible by
Barbara and Thomas Jackoboice

October 2, 2009-January 3, 2010

With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, French artist James Tissot (1836-1902) chose to relocate to London with its thriving art market and promise of artistic patronage. He was welcomed to the city by supportive friends, including James McNeill Whistler and lived in London for the next decade. Within a few years Tissot became one of the most popular and successful artists in England.

The paintings and prints Tissot produced over the decade of the 1870s record aspects of London's urban culture. The city's museums, parks, streets, taverns, and residences served as both stage and subject for his scenes of daily life. Tissot depicted city residents and visitors engaged in everyday activities, set within characteristic London architecture and gardens. In addition to providing glimpses of St. Paul's Cathedral and the National Gallery, he portrayed English public life set against the backdrop of the Thames River, the commercial lifeblood of the city seen in Tissot's work as a setting for leisure and recreation.

Tissot's London 1871-1882: The Art and Culture of City Life includes major paintings on loan from museums in the United States and Canada and etchings from private collections.