Philippa Maude Philip
Nationality: English
Date of birth: 1865.10.19
Date of death: 1915.12.04
Category: relative
Identity:
Philippa Maude Philip was Whistler's sister-in-law. She was the daughter of John Birnie Philip, a sculptor, and Frances Black, the daughter of John Black, a clerk. She was one of ten children: Constance (b. 1854), Beatrix (b. 1857), Edith (b. 1859), Ethel (b. 1861), Jane Bertha (b. 1864), Frances Septima (b. 1867), John Francis (b. 1869), Ronald Murray (b. 1871) and Rosalind Birnie (b. 1873).
Life:
Philippa's sister Beatrix married the Aesthetic Movement architect and designer E. W. Godwin in 1876, before marrying Whistler in 1888, subsequent to Godwin's death in 1886. Her sister Rosalind acted as companion, model, secretary and house keeper for Whistler after Beatrix's death, and was appointed Whistler's executrix at his death. Ethel married the American journalist and writer Charles Whibley in 1894. Ronald was a civil engineer who in 1900-1 accompanied Whistler on a trip to Gibraltar, Algiers, Tangiers, Marseilles and Corsica. Beatrix, Ethel, Ronald and Rosalind all acted as models at different times for Whistler.
Following the death of Beatrix, Philippa appears to have worked as a kind of occasional assistant for Whistler (#04660; #04661). Whistler, who called Philippa, 'Miss Maude', described her in 1897 as 'very kind and charming' (#04698). In 1898 Whistler suggested that Philippa, Rosalind, Frances and their mother join him at Dunster, Somerset (#04735). At this date Philippa and Frances kept in touch with Whistler through letter writing (#04741). Whistler described himself as their 'affectionate and Knightly brother' (#04767). Her mother and Rosalind kept house for for Whistler, both Dhu House in Chelsea and 110 rue du Bac. Philippa would have stayed there also.
Bibliography:
Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler, 2 vols, London and Philadelphia, 1908 ; Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 ; MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 .
