Titles

Whistler's own title is not known. The sole title recorded is:

• 'Lillie Pamington' (1980, YMSM). 1

Description

A head and shoulders portrait in vertical format showing a young woman looking straight at the viewer. She has thick brownish/ochre shoulder-length hair, cut in a long fringe. She wears a dark, possibly black, ribbon or cap on the back of her head and black clothes. Her hands are clasped in front of her, at lower left. The background is a warm brownish black.

Sitter

Lilian ('Lily') Pamington (b. 1887/1888) was a popular model with Whistler. He is said to have discovered her on a cab ride through the city of London, when he was looking for such child models.

Very little is known about her, although she appears in at least eight of Whistler's portraits, including Lillie Pamington [YMSM 466], The Little Red Glove [YMSM 468] and Girl in Black [YMSM 470].