The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Whistler sitting under an umbrella dates from about 1878, being drawn on the back of a draft letter from Whistler to Louis Gonse (1846-1921), Director of the Gazette des Beaux Arts written in June 1878, which has nothing to do with the drawing. ¹

Whistler sitting under an umbrella, Glasgow University Library

The scene represented shows Whistler in a charity performance of W. Dubourg's play Twenty Minutes under an Umbrella, in which he starred with Mrs Fowke at the Royal Albert Hall Theatre on 28 February 1876.

The drawing is fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 681).

Images

Subject

Sitter

Whistler sitting under an umbrella, Glasgow University Library

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) in Augustus W. Dubourg's short play Twenty Minutes under an Umbrella, at the Royal Albert Hall Theatre in 1876.

Technique

Technique

Whistler sitting under an umbrella, Glasgow University Library

See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 681).

History

Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his sister-in-law and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958);
• 1958: bequeathed by Miss Birnie Philip to the University of Glasgow.

Exhibitions

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 681) as 'Whistler sitting under an umbrella'.

Websites

• The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, 1855-1903, edited by Margaret F. MacDonald, Patricia de Montfort and Nigel Thorp; including The Correspondence of Anna McNeill Whistler, 1855-1880, edited by Georgia Toutziari. Online edition, University of Glasgow. GUW #01652