Titles

Only one title is known:

• 'Arrangement in Blue and Green' (1878, Grosvenor). 1
• 'Arrangement in Blue and Green' (1980, YMSM). 2

Arrangement in Blue and Green [YMSM 193] may have been one of a series of 'Blue Girls', possibly The Blue Girl: Maud Franklin [YMSM 112].

Description

It was described by Blackburn as a 'full-length portrait of a young lady.' 3 One reviewer said the portrait had 'the appearance of a young lady attired either in an indigo riding habit or in the gaberdine ... of a blue coat boy.' 4 Similarly the Dublin Evening Telegraph on 6 May 1878 described it as 'the portrait of a young lady which every one mistakes for that of a Blue-coat boy with a long gaberdine of blue and light riding habit of a dim green.' A blue frock coat, high necked, buttoned closely over the chest, with a belt, and with full long skirts, was the traditional uniform of boys from the charity Bluecoat Schools.

A more detailed but unflattering description appeared in The Ipswich Journal. After asserting that 'a friendly cynic' suggested that Whistler should not send the portrait to the Grosvenor, the critic added:

'his "arrangement in blue and green" hangs upon Sir Coutts Lindsay's walls, a hideous deformity. It is a tall girl, whose face is a mere lifeless and senseless daub, while her bombazine skirts, looming heavily on a dark background of no particular colour, constitutes the artist's "arrangement in blue and green," with which he flatters the public.' 5

Bombazine was a fine twilled fabric, and could be of silk, a silk-mix, worsted or cotton. It was often dyed black for mourning but obviously in this case it was blue.

The Magazine of Art merely stated said the model wore a 'blue velvet dress, which is imitatively treated', while the British Architect specified the colour as 'peacock blue.' 6 However, the colour was clearly not dominant: the Newcastle Courant commented on 3 May 1878 that 'Mr. Whistler's "Arrangement in blue and green," and "Harmony in blue and yellow," have anything but an agreeable effect, the outlines of the figures being in a great measure lost and merged into the background.'

Sitter

It was probably a portrait of Maud Franklin (1857-1939), for it was compared with Arrangement in White and Black [YMSM 185], which was in the same exhibition: 'two full length portraits of the same lady, one in peacock blue, the other in white satin.' 7