Born in Lowell, Mass., Whistler became one of the most influential late 19th-century American painters and etchers. He worked in a wide variety of styles that included Impressionism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau. He was especially influential in the Tonalist movement and was credited with being the first American modernist to influence European art.

Raised in New England and Russia, in 1847 Whistler's sister wed Seymour Haden, a key figure in 19th century etching. His association with Haden stimulated Whistler's interest in that medium.

In 1855, Whistler sailed for Europe, never to return to the United States. There he studied with Gleyre and became part of the avant-garde circles that included Latour, Legros, Manet, Courbet and Degas. Whistler was a leading member of the Aesthetic Movement and an important exponent of Japonisme. From the 1860's he increasingly adopted non-specific and often musical titles for his work, which emphasized his interest in the manipulation and color and mood for their own sake rather than for the conventional depiction of subject. His style was independent of realism and of those such as Ruskin, who thought art should have a moral purpose. He acted as an important link between the avant-garde artistic worlds of Europe, Britain and the United States, and has always been acknowledged as one of the masters of etching.