Jessica Cave

Identity:

Jessica Cochrane married the architect Walter Frederick Cave, the son of Sir Charles Daniel Cave of Sidmouth in Devon. They had one son, Richard Cave.

Life:

Walter Frederick Cave was articled to Sir A. W. Blomfeld, A.R.A., and studied at the R.A. He designed a wide variety of buildings including the Aeolian Hall in New Bond Street. He was a member of The Arts Club from 1889 until 1893 and was friendly with Walter Sickert.

It is not absolutely certain that Whistler knew Cave's wife, but it is known that Sickert planned and began a portrait of a Mrs Cave, which Whistler, seeing it half-painted on the easel, then took up and finished at some point between December 1894 and March 1895 (see Portrait of Mrs Walter Cave y431). Although Rothenstein believes Whistler to have then sold the piece as his own, Sickert writes that 'in a fit of good humour', he gave it to him along with Head of Mrs Beaumont y430 and Head of a Girl y432. Sickert later painted another version of Portrait of Mrs Walter Cave y431 and showed it at the exhibition of the New English Art Club in April 1895.

Works by Walter and Jessica Cave were exhibited at the 1899 Arts & Crafts Exhibition.

Bibliography:

The Studio, 1899, p. 181; The Times, London, 9 June 1939, obituary of W. F. Cave; Sickert, Walter, 'L'Affaire Greaves', New Age, 15 June 1911, pp. 159-60; Rothenstein, William, Men and Memories, 2 vols, London, 1931-32; Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 .