Soupe à trois sous 1859

Curator: This is James McNeill Whistler's etching, "Soupe à trois sous," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The mood feels… melancholy. Look at the almost desolate scene, sketched with such spare lines. Are they weary workers or just lost souls in a cafe? Curator: Whistler was fascinated by the working class, and the materiality of everyday life. He likely used a copper plate for this, biting into it with acid to create those fine, intricate lines. Editor: It's more than just representation; it's about elevating the commonplace. The composition is key - the lines lead your eye around, almost like a musical score. Curator: The title implies an affordability, a shared experience of cheap soup. Whistler, ever the aesthete, transformed that into a scene of stark beauty. Editor: It resonates, doesn’t it? Whistler finds beauty in the everyday, and the materials he used emphasize the rough textures of working-class life. Curator: Precisely. It makes you wonder about the stories etched into these faces, as much as the plate itself.