Key Figures

U to Z

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660)
Velázquez was the most important 17th century Spanish painter. He was a portraitist in the Spanish court. His work is characterised by very loose, expressive brushwork and muted colours. He was greatly admired by 19th century artists such as Whistler and Manet.

Thomas Way (1837-1915)
Thomas Way was a lithographic printer. He and his son Thomas Robert Way were extremely important for the revival of the art of lithography in Britain. In 1878, influenced by Thomas Way, Whistler made his first experiments in lithography. Thomas Way explained the process to Whistler and prepared his stones. From 1884 onwards Whistler produced a large number of lithographs which were printed by Thomas Way and later catalogued by T. R. Way. The Ways were also involved in the printing of publicity for Whistler.

Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913)
T. R. Way was a printer, lithographer and painter. He and his father Thomas Way were extremely important for the revival of lithography in Britain. In 1878, influenced by the Ways, Whistler made his first experiments in lithography. From 1884 Whistler’s lithographs were catalogued by T. R. Way. It was T. R. Way who introduced Whistler to transfer lithography in 1887.

Anna Matilda Whistler (1804-1881)
Anna Whistler (maiden name: McNeill) was Whistler’s mother. In 1831 she married Major George Washington Whistler. He had three children from a previous marriage. Anna and he had five children. She was widowed in 1849. She was a deeply religious woman. In the 1860s and 1870s she lived with Whistler in London, where she was his housekeeper and also helped to negotiate deals with patrons. In 1875 she retired to Hastings, due to ill health, where she lived until her death.

Beatrix Whistler (1857-1896)
Beatrix’s maiden name was Philip. She was the daughter of the sculptor John Birnie Philip and his wife Frances Black, and was the second of ten children. In 1875 she married the architect Edward William Godwin, a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement. They had one son, Edward, born in 1876. Godwin died in 1886 and she married Whistler on 11 August 1888. It was a happy marriage. He affectionately called her “Trixie”, “Chinkie”, “Luck” and “Wam”. Beatrix herself was an artist and designer of furniture, jewelry, stained glass, tiles and wallpaper. She painted mainly flowers and women, signing her work with a trefoil. Whistler taught her to etch. She exhibited as “Rix Birnie” to avoid prejudice against women. She posed for a number of Whistler’s works [link – Works on paper/Drawings/GLAHA 46101, Works on Paper/Prints/GLAHA 49081]. In 1894 she developed cancer and died in 1896 [link – Painting/Portraits/GLAHA 46376, Painting/City and Sea/Shop fronts/GLAHA 46345].

Major George Washington Whistler (1800-1849)
Major Whistler was a civil engineer who worked on the railways. He had three children by his first marriage to Mary R. Swift. His second wife was Anna Matilda McNeill, Whistler’s mother. In 1842 he went to St Petersburg in Russia to supervise the construction of the Moscow to St Petersburg Railway but died of cholera in 1849 two years before its completion.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Wilde was a poet, author, critic and playwright. He became a follower of Whistler for a time during the early 1880s but the two men quickly parted company, becoming rivals. Each tried to outdo the other in their witty remarks. Like Whistler, he collected blue and white oriental porcelain and was very concerned about his personal appearance. He was often satirised in the press. In 1895 he was imprisoned on charges of homosexuality.