The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
M.1287
The Purple Cap
Date
The Purple Cap probably originally dated from about 1890 but may have been touched up between 1899 and 1902.
The Purple Cap, Freer Gallery of Art
It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1287).
Images
The Purple Cap, Freer Gallery of Art
Subject
Sitter
The Purple Cap, Freer Gallery of Art
Probably Rose Amy Pettigrew (1872-1958) with her niece.
Technique
Technique
The Purple Cap, Freer Gallery of Art
This pastel, originally dating from the early 1890s, and seen by C. L. Freer in 1899, was left for Whistler to work on. The sale was not confirmed until 1902, and it is not clear whether Whistler really did much work on it at that late date.
History
Provenance
- 1902: bought from Whistler by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) on 16 June 1902;
- 1919: bequeathed to the Freer Gallery of Art.
See further details in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1287).
Exhibitions
- 1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 121) as 'The Purple Cap'.
- 1905: Œuvres de James McNeill Whistler, Palais de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1905 (cat. no. 146).
By the terms of Freer's will, this work cannot be lent to another venue.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1287) as 'The Purple Cap'.
Catalogues 1855-1905
- Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 121) as 'The Purple Cap'.
- Œuvres de James McNeill Whistler, Palais de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1905 (cat. no. 146).
Catalogues 1906-Present
- Curry, David Park, James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art, New York and London, 1984, pp. 48, 274, pl. 275.
Websites
- Freer Gallery of Art website at https://asia.si.edu/object/F1902.111a-c as 'The Purple Cap'.