The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Admiral Nelson -'Boarded at last!' was drawn in a letter from Whistler to Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936) and Joseph Pennell (1860-1926). It was then touched up, signed and published in the Daily Chronicle on 18 June 1897.

Admiral Nelson -'Boarded at last!', Library of Congress

'Mr Whistler on the Jubilee Stands', Daily Chronicle, 18 June 1897

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1507). The entry has been amended.

Images

Subject

Site

Admiral Nelson -'Boarded at last!', Library of Congress

Stands in Trafalgar Square, London, during Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations. The various inscriptions read:

'I am sending this then to Paris!!! - Possibly Wobbles may see it!-

[At upper left:] "Asseyons nous dessus, et que ça finisse! / Asseyons nous dessus, et n'en parlons plus!

[At upper right:] London's turn!!'

[On signs:] 'STEVENS/ Builders', 'Whitely/ 1000000/ Seats/ Apply', `Maple/Seats'

[Below drawing:] 'Trafalgar square - "The finest (site/sight) in Europe"!!!

× Admiral Nelson - "Boarded at last"!". England expects every man to be ridiculous!"

o St Martins Church - Protestant House of the Lord - to let - Apply Money changers Vestry.'

Technique

Technique

Admiral Nelson -'Boarded at last!', Library of Congress

According to the Library of Congress, 'The arrangements in Trafalgar Square delighted Whistler, and Joseph Pennell was so delighted with Whistler's sketch that he sent it to The Daily Chronicle, in which paper it was printed, June 18, 1897, Whistler making a few changes and signing it with his butterfly.' ¹

'Mr Whistler on the Jubilee Stands', Daily Chronicle, 18 June 1897

By the time it was published Whistler had indeed added several details, such as supports for the stands on the right, shadows at the bottom of the stands, and a butterfly with a long barbed tail at right. The text under the sketch had been removed, and 'London in her glory' was added at upper right, while the signs at left and right were altered, that at left now reading 'Maple Apply' and at right, 'STEVENS / contractor'. ²

Conservation History

There are both vertical and horizontal folds in the sheet. The paper has darkened and has a slight beige tone.

History

Provenance

• 1897: sent to Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936) and Joseph Pennell (1860-1926);
• 1917: given to the Library of Congress.

See further details in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1507).

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. 1507) as "Admiral Nelson -'Boarded at last!' ".

Newspapers 1855-1905

• Daily Chronicle, London, 18 June 1897, repr. as 'Mr Whistler on the Jubilee Stands'.

Books on Whistler

• Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Whistler Journal, Philadelphia, 1921, repr. f. p. 15 as 'Nelson Boarded at Last'.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• The Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell Collection of Whistleriana, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1921 (cat. no. 274).

Websites

• Library of Congress website at https://www.loc.gov.