Titles

Several possible titles have been suggested:

• 'Head of a young man' (1874, New York). 1
• 'Portrait of the Artist by himself ' (1876, Baltimore). 2
• 'Portrait of Himself' (1881, New York). 3
• 'Self-Portrait' (1881, New York). 4
• 'Portrait of Whistler' (1885-1886, New York). 5
• 'The Artist' (1898-1899, New York). 6
• 'Portrait of Whistler with Hat' (1904, Boston). 7
• ‘Portrait of Whistler with Hat’ (1980, YMSM). 8

‘Portrait of Whistler with Hat’ is the preferred title.

Description

Whistler described it as 'la tête grandeur nature peinte.' 9

A portrait in vertical format, it shows the head and shoulders of the artist in three-quarter view to left. He has dark curly hair and a moustache, and wears a black jacket and a flat-brimmed brushed silk hat. 10 The background is also very dark. The red signature 'Whistler.’ at the lower left is prominent.

Sitter

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903).

His face looks older, broader and heavier than in the earlier portrait, Whistler Smoking [YMSM 009].

A portrait of Whistler was painted by Ignace-Henri-Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) in 1865 as part of his large figure composition, Le Toast! Hommage à la vérité: the surviving fragment shown above shows a slightly older Whistler, looking, in fact, more like his earlier self-portrait.

Comments

In July 1897 Whistler wrote urgently to the 'Major', his sister-in-law Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958):

'The telegram sent tonight means that Heinemann wants the photograph that Drouet gave me - or rather to Trixie -

… It used to be on the piano - and is from a portrait I did of myself long ago - Just the head with a hat - rather large - and very grand I need not say! - Find it Major and either post it - or if in too great a hurry bring it with you to Dieppe.' 11

There is however, no explanation of why the publisher William Heinemann (1863-1920) wanted the photograph.