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Titles
Several possible titles have been suggested:
- 'Head' (1900, A. Reid). 1
- 'The Bridesmaid' (1901, J. J. Cowan). 2
- 'Study of a girl's head' (1951, National Library of Wales). 3
- 'Study, Head of a Girl' (1979, Newark Museum Quarterly). 4
- 'The Bridesmaid' (1980, YMSM). 5
- 'Study of a Girl's Head' (2016, Newark Museum). 6
No explanation appears in the correspondence for Cowan's title, 'The Bridesmaid', which is neither Whistlerian nor descriptive.
'Study of a Girl's Head', the first published title (1951) is now the preferred title, although it conflicts with the 1980 catalogue.
Description
Study of a Girl's Head, Newark Museum of Art
A small half-length portrait of a young woman in vertical format. She is seen in three-quarter view to right; she has a narrow face, pointed chin and short curly hair. She wears a black dress, possibly with a grey collar or trim around the neck, and is posed against a dark background.
Sitter
Not identified.
Notes:
1: Reid's records, quoted by his son, A. McN. Reid, 1963, GUL WPP file.
2: Cowan to Whistler, 30 June 1901, GUW #00745.
3: Margaret S. Davies collection, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1951 (cat. no. 51).
4: Newark Museum Quarterly, Winter 1979, Vol. 30, Issue 1, p. 18.
5: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 487).
6: Newark Museum website at http://gallery.newarkmuseum.org/view/objects/asitem/People@1055256.
Last updated: 31st March 2020 by Margaret
