James McNeill Whistler

circa 1872–1877

Oil on canvas

60.3 cm × 46.6 cm (23.7 in × 18.3 in)

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

This painting was the subject of a landmark libel trial in 1877. The art critic John Ruskin accused Whistler of "flinging a pot of paint in the public's face" with his painting, and Whistler sued Ruskin for libel. The trial was a highly publicized event, and it helped to raise the profile of Whistler and his work.