Blank Page Digitally Inserted | PORTRAITURE CATALOGUE of JAMES McNEIL WHISTLER CATALOGUE OF AN EXHIBITION OF PORTRAITURES OF JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER THE MEMORIAL ART GALLERY ROCHESTER, NEW YORK ILLUSTRATED PRIVATELY PRINTED MCMXV £ dler mer > ie Pan Vv WS 7 KG ACKNOWLEDGMENT Without much generous assistance it would have been impossible to make this collection and to prepare this catalogue. Most significant have been the constant encouragement and the ever ready sug- gestions of Mrs. Elizabeth Robbins Pen- nell. ““The Life of JamesMcNeil Whistler’? by Mr. and Mrs. Pennell must necessarily be the best authority for reference and it has been constantly used. Mr. George Haushalter kindly pre- pared the notes on the chemical action of the oils used by Whistler. To those friends who have taken inter- est in my collection, who have added items of importance, who have read my notes and who have made many helpful suggestions—to each and all I should like to take this opportunity to express sincere appreciation. April first, 1915 ILL @sat RATIONS GUARINO. No. 85. Cotor Print. Frontispiece REICH. No. 45. HALFTONE ENGRAVING. Facing page 28 GREAVES. No. 31. HALFTONE ENGRAVING. Facing page 34 BEERBOHM. No. 38. HALFTONE ENGRAVING. Facing page 40 MENPES. No. 64. HALFToNE ENGRAVING. Facing page 46 BINNS. No. 74. HALFToNE ENGRAVING. Facing page 52 MAY. No. 91. Line ENGRAVING. Facing page 58 CLARK. No. 87. HALFToNE ENGRAVING. Facing page 62 INTRODUCTION HESE portraitures chronologically arranged depict the life of one of the greatest of artists, James Mc- Neill Whistler. The influence of Whis- tler in the field of art is felt more than that of any other individual of the last half century. During the twelve years since his death he has become universally accepted as the foremost artist of Amer- ican birth. His work was new and rad- ical, the world was not prepared to un- derstand him; hence he was often called a fanatic. Now that the world has caught up we recognize a genius. Before Whistler, pictorial art chiefly concerned itself with the telling of stories and the commemoration of events. But disregarding precedent, he developed novel and revolutionary theories. With him the mission of art was to decorate. 15 When the beginner observes a picture, he is attracted by its subject. Later he sees the color, the skill of drawing, the composition, the harmony and the pic- turesque or decorative qualities. Only on attaining this highest state of apprecia- tion does he see what was so obvious to Whistler. For Whistler attaches no special im- portance to his subject. Nor is his me- dium significant. Whether with oil, etch- ing-needle, pastel or lithographic stone his thought is presented simply but sub- tly. Never does he attempt to tell a story. His work is to be looked at—not through. So consistent and paramount was this feeling for the picturesque that it entered into every expression, even affecting his daily life. It influenced his choice of words, his dress, his selection of com- panions, and was decidedly evident in making enemies. 16 Whistler taught the world that beauty is everywhere, that it always has been and always will be. His own words are—‘‘the story of the beautiful is already complete —hewn in the marbles of the Parthenon, and broidered with the birds, upon the fan of Hokusai—at the foot of Fusiyama.” The desire to have two or three good likenesses of Whistler was the beginning of this collection. When investigation disclosed the large number of existing portraits the instincts of the collector were awakened. Although the collector of Whistleriana may find much in this catalogue to inter- est him, it was particularly designed for the general public. Six of the illustrations are from pic- tures not reproduced before. The notes first give the medium of the picture; whenever it is a reproduction the medium of the original is also stated. Remarks of 17 a bibliographical nature are liberally ap- pended in the hope that an acquaintance with the life of the man will be followed by an appreciation of the work of the artist. When an artist is exceptionally versa- tile and is a real contributor to civiliza- tion the quantity of literature with refer- ence to him is usually very great. Nearly eight hundred Whistler bibliographical notices were catalogued by Mr. Don C. Seitz in 1910. (“Writings By and About Whistler,” Edinburgh.) Since that time the number has perhaps doubled. Indeed it is almost impossible to read any mod- ern art criticism without finding numer- ous references to Whistler. In 1913 Mr. Albert E. Gallatin pub- lished his valuable Iconography of Whis- tler. (“The Portraits and Caricatures of James McNeill Whistler,” John Lane, New York). This records according to 18 the medium 202 portraits and caricatures. There are perhaps half as many more not yet listed. There are in this catalogue sixteen items not listed by Gallatin and a number of statements that do not agree with his iconography; but all of these have been substantiated. Gallatin notes thirty portraits and sketches of Whistler by Walter Greaves, four of which with two others unlisted are shown in this exhibition, and one of the latter, No. 31, is reproduced. Com- pare this drawing with the Stereoscopic Company’s and the Mendelssohn photo- graphs Nos. 44, 72. It is very evident that Greaves’ inspiration was not always from life. A large number of similar drawings by Greaves are in circulation. The most important Whistler collec- tion is that of Mr. Charles L. Freer of Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Freer’s noble generosity has made his works of art the property of the nation, and they will be placed in a special building erected for the National Gallery of Art at Wash- ington. The Freer collection includes sixteen portraits of Whistler. Six of these are catalogued here, no reproduction has been published of any of the other ten. The portraitures in this exhibition are arranged according to the period of Whistler’s life which they appear to por- tray without respect to the time of their execution. This arrangement shows how artists are often assisted by other artists or by photographs. Compare Nos. 45, 46 and 47 with No. 44, and No. 112 with No. aii. Miss Rosalind Bernie Philip, Whis- ler’s niece and executrix, has a self oil portrait of the artist that has never been 20 reproduced. Her unwillingness to per- mit a reproduction to be published is par- ticularly unfortunate as is made clear by Mr. George Haushalter in an opinion especially written for this catalogue. Mr. Haushalter has made a scientific and ex- haustive study of the chemical action of oil colors, with special reference to those of Whistler: “Whistler learned the principle of low tone from Gleyre, who advised the free use of black, and taught his pupils to work out their harmonies on their pal- lette, before soiling the canvas with the tentative brushings. ‘“Whistler’s gamut of color was the per- fection of restraint, though rich and thoughtful; but he seems to have neg- lected to inquire into the purity of his materials, consequently his paintings, like the work of so many modern artists, are darkening far away from their original clarity. 21 “A man so exquisite and refined must have demanded the best pigments and materials obtainable, yet he combined them, apparently unwisely, with turpen- tine, the most destructive of all vehicles according to Jacque Blocx of Antwerp. “Tt is already imperative that repro- ductions of Whistler’s oil paintings be made, with the greatest art at our com- mand.” 22 PORTRAITURE CATALOGUE 1 1846 Photograph of the pastel miniature of James (stand- ing) and his brother William, done when the for- mer was about twelve. It is the earliest recorded likeness of Whistler, who was born in Lowell, Mass- achusetts, July 10, 1834. The original, now in the Charles L. Freer collection, was for a long while in Stonington, Connecticut, where the Whistlers re- turned in 1849, ‘The artist is unknown. The por- trait was most likely executed in Russia. ~ G 107 | rats ~~ 2 1848 Photogravure of oil painting made by Sir William Boxall in 1848, while Whistler was living with his sister, Mrs. Seymour Haden, at 62 Sloane Street, London, and was tutoring with a clergyman. His father, who was building a railroad for the Russian government, had sent him from Russia. Whistler remained in London until his father died in the year following. ‘This portrait was shown in the Royal London Academy in 1849. When the Royal Acad- emy hesitated to admit Whistler’s portrait of his mother in 1872, Sir William Boxall threatened to resign. Perhaps no incident better illustrates how revolutionary Whistler’s interpretation of art ap- peared to his contemporaries. “The original portrait is in the possession of Miss Philip, in London. G 30 25 04; 42. Gb. 14S Gb. (+6 3 1850 Halftone engraving made from daguerreotype taken after the Whistlers returned to America and were again living in Connecticut. It was from here that Whistler went to West Point to follow his father’s career. He entered July 1, 1851, and when he left, June 16, 1854, was at the head of the class in drawing. G 181 4 1856 Halftone engraving after the pencil drawing made by Sir Edward J. Poynter in a Paris cafe. Poynter made other sketches; three not as yet reproduced are in the Charles L. Freer collection. Whistler went to Paris in 1855 after having spent three years at West Point and a few months in the employ of the United States Coast Survey at Washington, where he learned the art of etching. G 108 5 1857 Halftone engraving after photograph made about 1857. Whistler was now living in the Latin Quar- ter of Paris and had attended the studio of Gleyre. G 182 26 6 1858 Zinc engraving after pen and ink sketches made by Whistler on a remarkable journey to Alsace in 1858 with Ernest Delannoy. It was during this adven- turesome trip that Whistler made most of the French set of etchings. He is also said to have earned his way by making sketches.