The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Papillon noir dates from after the death of Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896) on 10 May 1896 and was used in promoting the Company of the Butterfly, which was created to sell Whistler's work in 1897.

Papillon noir, Library of Congress

It was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1474).

Images

Subject

Description

Papillon noir, Library of Congress

After the death of his wife, Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896), Whistler designed a butterfly on a half-mourning rectangle.

Technique

Composition

Papillon noir, Library of Congress

The Company of the Butterfly, Glasgow University Library

The mourning butterfly was used on the leaflet advertising the Company of the Butterfly in 1897.

History

Provenance

• 1920s: acquired by Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936) and Joseph Pennell (1860-1926);
• 1927/1936: given or bequeathed to the Library of Congress.

The early provenance is not known; see MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1474).

Exhibitions

It was not, as far as is known, 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. 1474) as 'Papillon noir'.