Blue and Orange: The Sweet Shop 1884

James McNeill Whistler made this oil on panel, Blue and Orange: The Sweet Shop, with a social realist approach that invited viewers to engage with the everyday world of urban life. Whistler's use of commonplace subject matter invites reflection on the politics of imagery and its relevance to our understanding of the late 19th century. Whistler was an American artist working in Europe, so we should ask ourselves how the conditions of that world, shaped by the Industrial Revolution, affected his art. Was this a self-consciously progressive painting? The muted tones and obscured faces could be said to reflect the experience of those on the margins of urban life. Did Whistler critique the art institutions of his time? Or was he conforming to the academy? By delving into historical resources, we can better appreciate this work as contingent on its social and institutional context.