The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Study of a lady's head dates from 1873/1875.

Study of a lady's head, Brown University

It is fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 552).

Images

Subject

Sitter

The drawing shows a young woman although some catalogues imply that it was a boy. ¹

Study of a lady's head, Brown University

Portrait study of a lady, Whereabouts unknown

Study of a lady's head m0552 and Portrait study of a lady m0553 may be studies of the same woman, but she has not been identified with certainty.

The curious head-gear is similar to that on Profile portrait of a young lady m0527, which could possibly be a portrait of Florence Leyland (1859-1921) or Fanny Leyland (1857-1880).

Technique

Technique

Portrait study of a lady, Whereabouts unknown

See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 552).

History

Provenance

• 1904: with Frederick Keppel (1845-1912), New York dealer.
• 1918: sold at auction, Field sale, Anderson Galleries, New York, 10 December 1918 (lot 156) as 'Sketch of a young man'.
• 1936: given by George Wistar Hodge Ritchie (1857-1929) and Carrie Louise Ritchie née Brooks (1858-1936) to Brown University, and passed to the University on Mrs Ritchie's death.

Exhibitions

• 1904: probably Etchings, Dry-Points, and a Few Drawings by Whistler, Frederick Keppel & Co., New York, 1904 (cat. no. 109) as 'Study of a Lady's Head' or (110) as 'Study of a Boy'.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 552) as 'Study of a lady's head'.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• Probably Etchings, Dry-Points, and a Few Drawings by Whistler, Frederick Keppel & Co., New York, 1904 (cat. no. 109) as 'Study of a Lady's Head' or (110) as 'Study of a Boy'.