Ruskin attacks Whistler and his paintings in the pages of Fors Clavigera, writing that “[f]or Mr. Whistler’s own sake, no less than for the protection of the purchaser, Sir Coutts Lindsay ought not to have admitted works into the gallery in which the ill-educated conceit of the artist so nearly approached the aspect of willful imposture. I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face.” Image: Portrait of John Ruskin. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Julie Codell, “On the Grosvener Gallery, 1877-90″

Nicholas Frankel, “On the Whistler-Ruskin Trial, 1878″

On 28 July 1877, Whistler initiated a libel action against Ruskin. Image: Self-Portrait of James McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter, c. 1872 (Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Julie Codell, “On the Grosvener Gallery, 1877-90″

Nicholas Frankel, “On the Whistler-Ruskin Trial, 1878″

Law suit for libel opened on 25 November 1878 at London’s Courts of Justice, with Whistler as litigant, claiming damages of £1000 from Ruskin. The verdict was awarded to Whistler after a trial lasting eight hours (the jury deliberated for another two), but as importantly, Whistler was awarded only one farthing in damages and no costs. Image: Self-Portrait of James McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter, c. 1872 (Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Julie Codell, "“On the Grosvener Gallery, 1877-90″

Nicholas Frankel, “On the Whistler-Ruskin Trial, 1878″

On 20 Feb 1885, James McNeill Whistler gave his “10 O’Clock” lecture, Piccadilly, London, attacking social use of art. Part of a longer battle that included Whistler’s libel suit against John Ruskin in 1878; Whistler did not name Ruskin but alluded to a Philistine “Sage” who misled the public on art. Image: Self-Portrait of James McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter, c. 1872 (Detroit, Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts). This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Amy Woodson-Boulton, “The City Art Museum Movement and the Social Role of Art”

Nicholas Frankel, “On the Whistler-Ruskin Trial, 1878″

The trials of Oscar Wilde, which occurred in April and May of 1895, have become legendary as a turning-point in the history of public awareness of homosexuality. By their close, Wilde had gone from being a triumphantly successful playwright to a ruined man, condemned to two years of hard labor for gross indecency. They garnered extensive coverage first in the London press and then in newspapers around the world; the story of the trials continues to be retold in ways that have persistent relevance for contemporary queer culture. Image: Photograph of Oscar Wilde, by Napoleon Sarony. This image is in the public domain in the United States because its copyright has expired.

Articles

Andrew Elfenbein, “On the Trials of Oscar Wilde: Myths and Realities”