Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

 

Portrait of Miss Amy Brandon Thomas

Provenance

  • 1895: Brandon Thomas (1849-1914) ;
  • 1914: bequeathed to the sitter, Amy Marguerite Brandon Thomas (Mrs Barnes-Brand) (1890-1974) , Shamley Green, Surrey, who owned it until at least 1960.
  • October 1967: with Christie's, London.
  • 1981: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 29 May 1981 (lot 6) bought in;
  • 1982: Sotheby's, New York 4 June 1982 (lot 32) bought by the Fine Art Society, London (stock #10118);
  • 1983: sold to Forbes Magazine Inc.
  • 2017: present whereabouts unknown.

It was sent to Brandon Thomas in September 1895: it is not known if he actually commissioned it. 1

The last known exhibition of this portrait was in 2003, when it was shown at The Fine Art Society in London. Items from the Forbes Collection were sold over several years, including a major sale at Christie's on 19-20 February 2003. However, the current whereabouts of this portrait is unknown.

Exhibitions

  • 1905: Œuvres de James McNeill Whistler, Palais de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1905 (cat. no. 46).
  • 1905: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the late James McNeill Whistler, First President of The International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, New Gallery, Regent Street, London, 1905 (cat. no. 76) as 'Portrait of a Baby'.

Notes:

1: Thomas to Whistler, 12 September 1895, GUW #05671.

Last updated: 16th October 2020 by Margaret