James McNeill Whistler

Portrait of a woman

Date 4 October 1885
Materials Pen and black ink on laid paper
Dimensions 18.0 cm x 11.8 cm
Marks Signed in ink at bottom left: "J.A.Mcn. Whistler / Oct.4. 85."; watermark: "[C] HARTA ASPERA / L & S".
Further information GLAHA 46101.
Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonne, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1995 (1059).

Note This informal portrait of a woman resting her head on her hand may be either of Beatrix or Ethel Philip. Notice how the woman’s face is drawn with character and subtlety and contrast this with how her lower body is only suggested in a willow-the-wisp kind of way. Whistler was a master when it came to conveying personality and form through a minimal use of line. The woman’s distinct gesture of fingers to mouth beautifully conveys the individuality of the sitter.