James McNeill Whistler

Lillie: An Oval

Date after 1896
Materials Oil on canvas
Dimensions 60.5 cm x 48.8 cm
Marks None
Further information GLAHA 46366.
Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1980 (465, plate 342).

Note In his later years, Whistler would take a cab through the poorer streets of London looking for suitable child models. Red-haired Lillie Pamington was discovered this way. Very little is known about her life, but she became one of Whistler's favourite models. There are nine known portraits of her. Notice that in this painting Lillie’s hands and the chair she sits on are only briefly painted in. Despite this, the way the hands are clasped on the lap and the expression on her face are full of character, giving the impression of a shy, reserved girl. The reddish brown colour arrangement of this painting is beautiful and shows Whistler’s interest in taking a single colour, here that of his model’s hair, and making it the focus of a work. However, the surface of the picture is overworked and spoilt.

Related works GLAHA 46330, 46375.