The Little Nude Model Reading

James McNeill Whistler

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Little Nude Model Reading by James McNeill Whistler depicts a nude woman sitting on a low platform. The woman has a hat on her head and is looking down at a book held in her hands. The woman's body faces right and is angled slightly away. Her left leg is bent at the knee and her right leg is straight. The woman's feet are bare. The platform she sits on has a pile of fabric behind her. The background is simple with minimal details, a table-like object on the left. The drawing is done in pencil on beige paper. The overall composition is simple and intimate.