JAMES MCNEIL WHISTLER (1834 - 1903) American artist a portrait painter with a pugnacious attitude best remembered for the portrait of his mother seated in a rocker. Fine signed photograph of his ca. 1875 oil ""The Falling Rocket"" 15 1/2"" x 21 1/2"" overall signed ""Whistler"" in pencil and adding his delicate ""butterfly"" paraph beneath. Mat lightly toned else fine. Double-matted and ready to frame. One of six Nocturnes that Whistler painted of Cremorne Gardens in London. Affronted by this work art critic John Ruskin accused Whistler of “flinging a pot of paint in the public's face”. An uproar among Whistler owners ensued many ashamed to own his works. Pushed even further into financial straits Whistler sued Ruskin for his libel but won but a farthing. The decision bankrupted the artist.