The Whistler House Museum of Art is the birthplace of painter and etcher James McNeill Whistler

James McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...

. It is located at 243 Worthen Street, Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell, Massachusetts

Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

, USA, and is open as a museum displaying works from the Museum collection and shows by artist members.

History of the House

• The house was built in 1823.

• George Washington Whistler Jr. bought the house when he moved to Lowell with his wife. Their son James Whistler
  James Whistler
  James Whistler is the name of:* James Abbott McNeill Whistler , American-born, British-based artist, known for the painting colloquially known as Whistler's Mother...
  
   was born in 1834, the year they moved in;

• James B. Francis
  James B. Francis
  James Bicheno Francis was a British-American engineer, who invented the Francis turbine.-Early years:James Francis was born in South Leigh, near Witney, Oxfordshire in England, United Kingdom...
  
  , bought the house from Whistler in 1837 when G.W. Whistler moved to Russia. James Francis married Sarah, and they raise their six children here. James died in 1892.

• The house has been the home of the Lowell Art Association since 1908.

Permanent Exhibit

The first floor and second floor hall and bedrooms now house the WHMA's Permanent collection, including one room dedicated to the etchings of James Whistler himself. The top floor is a working artist studio. In the rear of the home is the Parker Gallery where new exhibits are shown.

• David Dalhoff Neal
  David Dalhoff Neal
  David Dalhoff Neal , was an American artist.-Early years:David Dalhoff Neal was born to father Stephen Bryant Neal and mother Mary Neal, on Middlesex Street, in Lowell, Massachusetts...
  
   oil on canvas
• Thomas B. Lawson
  Thomas B. Lawson
  -Early life and education:Thomas was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on January 13, 1807 to father William Lawson and mother Frances Lawson. He worked his way up in the dry goods industry, first as a clerk they up to having his own store at the age of 21. Also having a passion for painting, he...
  
  "Hanging Grapes" oil on canvas

External links

• Whistler House Museum of Art official web site