Obituary

Whistler's portrait of a patient mother sitting in profile became the image of every mother waiting — for the dishes, for the call, for the apology. It died of old age, which is the one thing a meme about mothers was never going to survive.

Portrait: James McNeill Whistler · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Born

2013

Died

2018

Cause of death

Waited too long

Last sighting

A Mother's Day post, 2018

Resting place

Section F, Row 3

Category

art