Titles

Minor variations on the title have been suggested:

• 'Princess' (1898, D. C. Thomson). 1
• 'Rose and Gold – The little Lady Sophie of Soho' (1899, ISSPG). 2
• 'The little Lady of Soho! ... the little Lady Sophie of Soho' (1899, Whistler). 3
• 'Rose and Gold: The Little Lady Sophie of Soho' (1980, YMSM). 4

Edith Burkitt (1884-1973) explained the title: '[Whistler] told my mother my sister was "fit to be a princess", and he named the finished picture Rose and Gold: Little Lady Sophie of Soho.' 5

Description

Rose and Gold: The Little Lady Sophie of Soho, Freer Gallery of Art

An oval half-length portrait of a girl in three-quarter view to left. She sits with her hands clasped in her lap. She has long dark brown hair, and wears a black high-necked long-sleeved dress. The background is pale brown. The canvas is in vertical format.

Sitter

Sophie Burkitt (1882-1959), sister of Edith Burkitt (1884-1973). Their mother, Mrs Burkitt, was Whistler's landlady at 8 Fitzroy Street from 1898 until 12 July 1901 when she married a Mr Blackwell. 6 Sophie was born on 14 December 1882, married W. E. Griffiths on 24 August 1918, and died on 2 May 1959. According to her sister Edith, 'Sophie was a gifted pianist and Whistler wanted to capture her expression while she was playing and asked to paint her. She was then ten years old. He painted her when she was 16-17 years old.' 7