The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Portrait of a woman dates from 4 October 1885.

Portrait of a woman, The Hunterian

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1060).

Images

Subject

Sitter

Portrait of a woman, The Hunterian

Not identified. Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896), who was then married to Edward William Godwin (1833-1886), and her sister Ethel – later Ethel Whibley (1861-1920) – are possible sitters, but this is by no means certain. The sitter does not look like Maud Franklin (1857-1939), who was Whistler's chief model.

Technique

Technique

Portrait of a woman, The Hunterian

See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1060).

History

Provenance

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

Exhibitions

There is no record of an exhibition 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. 1060) as 'Portrait of a woman'.

Websites

• The Hunterian website at http://collections.gla.ac.uk.