Titles

Only one title has been suggested:

• 'Violet girl' (1869/1870, Whistler). 1
• 'Violet Girl' (1980, YMSM). 2

Description

Unknown.

There is a possibility that the 'violet girl' was similar in subject and scale to Annabel Lee [YMSM 079], the 'Blue Girl' that was mentioned in Whistler's letter to William Grapel, already cited. 3

Sitter

Unknown.

Comments

Annabel Lee is predominantly pale green and blue with touches of lilac and violet. No painting extant has a dominant violet colour scheme, although one of the 'Six projects', Symphony in Green and Violet [YMSM 083] includes a figure with violet drapery. Some paintings include violet robes: one, known as Sketch for 'Annabel Lee' [YMSM 080] (dated 1868/1877), is dominated by the robe, which has a dark violet background and paler, lilac light areas. A later painting of a similarly posed figure, Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour [YMSM 319] (dated 1884) shows a pink-draped figure in front of violet drapery.