Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

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Vert et or: Le Raconteur

Provenance

  • 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his ward and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) ;
  • 1905: bought from Miss Birnie Philip by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) , Detroit;
  • 1919: bequeathed by C. L. Freer to the Freer Gallery of Art.

Miss R. Birnie Philip may have offered the painting for sale as 'Green and Gold: – Tom' to Robert Dunthorne (1850-1925), a London dealer, on 14 May 1904 for 600 guineas. 1 It may also have been on sale in Glasgow, where it was exhibited by a local art dealer, James Connell, possibly in 1904 (cat. no. 73A).

In August 1904 Freer wrote to Miss R. Birnie Philip, 'I sympathize with the disappointment felt by the would-be-buyer of "The Raconteur"… The bright and amusing thoughts of the amazing boy shining through his mischievous eyes.' 2 The sale to C. L. Freer, implied in this note, was confirmed in September 1905, for £1000.

Exhibitions

  • 1904: Ouvrages de Peintures, Sculpture, Dessin, Gravure, Architecture et Objets d'Art, 14th exhibition, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1904 (cat. no. 1317) as ' "Vert et Or" (le Raconteur)'.
  • 1904: Etchings and Lithographs by James McNeill Whistler, James Connell & Sons, Glasgow, [1904] (cat. no. 73A) as 'Green and Gold. Tom'.

It was not, as far as is known, exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

The painting was included in an exhibition at the galleries of James Connell & Sons in 31 Renfield Street, Glasgow, possibly in 1904. 3

By the terms of C. L. Freer's bequest to the Freer Gallery of Art, the painting cannot be lent to another venue.

Notes:

1: GUL Whistler BP II Ledger a, p. 64.

2: GUL Whistler BP 4/60.

3: James Hodge Connell retired in 1908, and the business was taken over by his sons James D., Thomas and David Connell. The firm also had premises at 47 Old Bond Street, London. Edinburgh Gazette, 5 November 1909, 1175; Fletcher, Pamela, London Gallery Project, website at http://learn.bowdoin.edu.

Last updated: 25th October 2020 by Margaret